13 hours agoMember-onlyMaking time for extra moments makes a differenceI always drink a café latte on Wednesday mornings. I have it at 6:30 a.m. while sitting outside of a coffee shop that faces a twisty, narrow historic downtown area of southeast Arizona. The mountains cradle the town and the storefronts are all of different color doors. Here, the mornings…Values3 min read
Aug 7Member-onlyTry big life things and little life things to learn and growI like talking to people that know more about life than I do. Not just big life things that give you headaches and make you feel like you are always one wrong choice away from trouble, but also small life things like choosing the best butter for your morning toast. …Life3 min read
Jul 31Member-onlyLessons from a stranger on the importance of namesI went on a mini vacation to get away. To feel like I would be a lonely figure, hiking the peaks around Pinos Altos, New Mexico in the Gila National Wilderness. Turns out I was reconnecting with people and places that were always important to me. Pinos Altos is a…Names3 min read
Jul 24Member-onlyFill up your plate with side orders of peace and relaxationI’m going on vacation next week. It’s been a good while since I took time off from work. People keep saying that I should “unplug” and get “disconnected.” They say phrases like you should “get away” and spend time “alone.” I’ve always been interested in phrases and what people say…Hiking3 min read
Jul 16Member-onlyThe magic of yard sales and lemonade standsThere are certain aspects of society that feel more special when you live in a community of less than 17,000 people. A place where you seem to run across the same people at the store or the post office. A town where if you go to work at the same…Kids3 min read
Jul 10Member-onlyChurch potlucks fill you up with more than foodWhen I think of social events that feel like they belong in the past but are still needed today, it’s the church potluck. Church potlucks are different than other kinds of potlucks. They are the kind where you know what traditional dishes will be provided and that there will be…Church3 min read
Jul 3Member-onlyMemories of food stamps and getting aheadThere are some memories of childhood that stick with you, others you can barely remember. I stop and wonder sometimes why those that you do think of from time to time stay with you. Maybe they mattered more. Maybe what was happening was an important event that helped shape you. …Food3 min read
Jun 26Member-onlyFriendships are like monsoons, they come and go, and are neededMonsoons remind me of many people I have met along the different paths of life. They come for a season. They are memorable and needed. You know they will only be around for a while, and then what seems like forever since you last saw them, they come back and…Rain3 min read
Jun 19Member-onlyThe burrito man and other helpersOn Saturday mornings, in the town I used to live in, there was a man that set up a big disco in a parking lot, under a large tree. It was early in the mornings during winter, just as the sun was coming up over the mountains at the edge…Food3 min read
Jun 12Member-onlyUnderstanding language leads to healing of communityIn America, we say “God willing.” In Mexico and other places, they say “si Dios quiere.” The phrases mean the same thing but they sound different. When you live in the borderlands, or in any community where two worlds come together, people say the same thing to each other but…Spanish3 min read
