Tonight or tomorrow the ornaments will come down. The tree will go out in the trash or in the back of our lot where the fox might use it for shelter. All the holiday trinkets will be wrapped in tissue paper. They’ll go back into plastic boxes, to be carried down to the basement and […]
Christmas
What's New in My Life?
It’s certainly been a year to remember. In May, Paper, Scissors, Death was nominated for an Agatha Award for Best First Novel. The list of novelists over the years who have been nominated include Mary Higgins Clarke, Jan Burke, and Janet Evanovich. I mean, really, how could you be in better company? Cut, Crop & […]
Empty Chairs
In every life, at every holiday, there are empty chairs, reserved for the people we love who are no longer with us. This year I will look for my mother. I will expect to see her smiling over the funny trinkets in the aisles at Walmart. I will expect to hear her laugh when that […]
Another Christmas, Another Miracle
On occasion, I must confess that my faith slips a cog, like a car with a bad clutch. When I see good people frightened by a seemingly hopeless future, when I hear bad news crowding out all else in the media, when I look into the faces of strangers and find soul-weary sadness, I wonder, […]
De-Stress for the Holidays, Part V
Note: Last year I asked my scrapbooking friends to share how they de-stress during the holidays. The responses were AMAZING. This is the fifth and final “de-stress” email for this season. Isn’t it lovely?–Joanna One of the big things my husband and I had in common was our love for Christmas, and we always always […]
De-Stress for the Holidays, Part II
Note: This is Part II in a series of posts written by my scrapbooking friends on how they de-stress over the holidays. Be sure to check back on Dec. 15, 18 and 23 for more installments–JoannaWe are big outside light decorators. We have about 15,000 lights. So we enjoy also seeing other’s displays. A nice […]