My friend Amanda is employed at her county's only domestic violence shelter, with limited resources.

She has seen many survivors of crisis and trauma coming into her facility. She has shared with me how thankful she is that she was raised in a good home with hard-working parents who taught her to be responsible, good with finances, and to give to those less fortunate.

One of her residents, Kerri, was able to go to a trade school thanks to Amanda’s help with applying for grants and scholarships. She not only received a scholarship, but last month she graduated top of her class, secured employment, and purchased a new car.

We might not always consider stories like this when we think about graduation season. But these stories are valid, and a healthy addition to the mix!

The neighborhood "yard of the week" contest is back in full swing, and some of my neighbors have been overly competitive about having this coveted sign on their lawn. If this sounds like a sitcom, it probably is. One neighbor, Stan, purchased five enormous blow up ...

A recent Skyscanner survey revealed that 9 out of 10 flyers wanted seat reclining to be banned or restricted. A separate survey found that more than 60% of cabin crews had witnessed physical and verbal mid-flight altercations due to seat reclining. In an effort to ...

Families with seniors in high school are feeling it deeply. All of the last times have become so real. A mom named Ellen was scrambling eggs for her son’s breakfast a week before his high school graduation, tears were flowing from her face into the whipped yokes. ...

A clean house is comforting, and so is a ‘we just had the best time let’s clean up later’ house. But spring-cleaning is a thing, so let’s talk about it. You might find more things that you don’t spring clean than you do on the attached list ...

Pet hair is everywhere! It’s shedding season; cats, dogs, and snakes are letting it all go and waiting for the next new layer, and vacuums are in demand. Places like Costco specialize in seasonal items. During my last trip, two different manufacturers were demoing ...

There are no May weddings on the family calendar, but October has three nuptial invites. One is a Disney destination wedding that we can’t wait to attend! Half birthdays are celebrated – that’s a new thing in my house thanks to the pandemic. That time ...

A young woman named Harmony was *that* girlfriend that could find the right outfit for the occasion within her friend group. If someone needed a suit for an interview or a dress for a dance, she knew which friend had the right item and size of clothing. This was her gift, ...

Out of six flights in the last four months, only one flight departed and arrived as expected. Being stuck on the tarmac, our delayed planes seem to be the norm. You can tell the “flight mood” when you board a plane by the type of greeting you get from the ...

My girlfriend Krista has Covid for the second time. Her first round was intense. Fever, out of commission for a week, and less than a year later she has it again. She traced it back to a co-worker who knew they were sick and came to work anyway. This time, she feels ...