In the last couple of years I have written and received too many condolence letters. And I wonder about them, these artifacts of sorrow and grief, inscribed with a litany of words that do not say the things we mean to say, because there really are no words for those feelings, but instead we turn…
DetailsCalibrating Your Compass A compass is designed to aid in accurately navigating our travels. Ships and aircraft have highly refined devices, but nearly all of us carry a compass around in our phones. For the most part, my phone GPS saves me time and aggravation. Except when it decides to misbehave and send me off…
DetailsThe Houston Cottage recently had the opportunity to help support Family Promise, a local nonprofit group for homeless families. The cottage was able to assist with publicity and volunteering at a fundraiser. The Family Promise annual fundraiser, normally held in the spring, was canceled this year due to COVID. A new fundraising opportunity presented itself…
DetailsTenille Farr loves Big Ocean Women. She proved it by finding time to chat with me for this article in the midst of company, three teenage sons involved in homecoming, ball games, her garden “on full strength,” canning, and a truckload of fruit to distribute. Seeing her jam-packed life, I offered to wait until another…
DetailsMy first experience with a compass was when I was in the 9 th grade. By some sheercombination of dumb luck, limited entrants, and determination, I found myself representing myjunior high school in the Geography Olympiad. There were several categories that we had tostudy to prepare; I was good with maps, countries and capitals, but…
DetailsPhoto Credit: Frances Oldham Kelsey, MD, PhD, receives the President’s Award for Distinguished Federal Civil Service from President John F. Kennedy in 1962. Photo credit: Special Collections Research Center/The University of Chicago Library When I first learned of Dr. Frances Oldham Kelsey, my immediate thought was that she embodied this month’s tenet: “We recognize and…
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