Even if your parents didn’t teach you otherwise, when you attended school you learned: Lying on the ground, stomping your feet, and wailing at the top of your voice was a lousy, ineffective blackmail scheme. Punching Johnny in the nose because he made fun of the way you swung the
Today is Dad’s birthday. The ache of missing him competes with all the memories, the laughter, the certainty that no matter what–he was always there for me. Of course, in the way of children, I wish the way he’d been there for me had fallen more in line with MY
Once upon a time, my bio said that despite being born in the Big Apple, I lack a fondness for big cities … with the exception of the Big Easy–or at least its French Quarter, as this photo illustrates. No, I’m not drinking two beers. One was my sister’s (she’s
In America, we either brag about our independence or gripe because we feel we’re losing it. In reality, we don’t have it, never had it, and never will have it. You might think I’m full of baloney, but I’m not. Just read the dictionary. When you’re independent, you’re free from
Until four years ago, I never watched the news on a regular basis. I never felt the need to follow politics closely or share my political beliefs. My reasons are a story for another day. Maybe it’s because I’m a writer, maybe it’s because I’m growing older, or maybe it’s
Nine years ago, I took the plunge and began a freelance writing business working from home. And when I say “plunge,” I don’t do so lightly. When you’ve spent 37 years working in sales, and owning three businesses, and teaching agents and adjusters insurance continuing education classes, that tumble is
I find myself using the word very lately, as in something is very important or very stupid. (I also use really in a similar fashion, and actually, but I’m going to stick with very today.) If something’s important (or stupid), how does does very make it more so? Aren’t the words
We resolve to be better each new year, listening to the advice of those who (supposedly) know so much more than we do: Eat healthier! Become more fit! Earn a higher salary! But who and what are we really listening to as we ponder our lives, and strive to improve?
Linda's mystery, Second Time Around, is being re-released in Spring 2021. Stay tuned for more details.