Kathleen McGowan’s “The Ballad of Tam Lin” is a retelling of a classic Scottish fairy tale. Thanks to the author’s diligent research and colorful language, I found “Tam Lin” a fascinating love story set in 14th century Scotland. McGowan is skilled at painting vivid word pictures. Early in the book, for example, she describes a Scottish conquest of an English …
We’ve just returned from an active three days of dropping our twin sons off for their freshmen years at college. Josh is at Colorado State University, and Andrew is 540 miles away at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska. The house is quiet tonight. After 18 years of activity, Josh and Andrew have gone their separate ways. “It’s kind of hit …
“Life was perfect!” says Dr. Terry Gordon in reflecting back to June 29, 2009. A successful cardiologist, Gordon and his wife were content in having raised three daughters and a son. The girls were all college graduates and son Tyler had just completed his sophomore year as a business major. Then tragedy strikes. That night Tyler is seriously injured in …
Instant Empty Nest. That’s what my wife Anne and I are facing when our only two children, twins Josh and Andrew, are off to college in three weeks. The boys have been such an integral part of our lives for 18 years. One tradition I enjoyed with my sons was “buddy night” which I wrote about last June. Another practice …
One of the best books I reviewed last year was Sonia Choquette’s “The Power Of Your Spirit”. That book, as I wrote at the time, was insightful in helping me distinguish between the unhealthy messages of the Ego and the empowering thoughts of the Spirit. Now in 2012 Choquette has produced a worthy followup in the same vein, “Grace, Guidance, …
Dr . Ryan Kilgore is obsessed with his father. Abandoned as an infant, the adult Kilgore sets out to find his father and deliver a piece of his mind. “I have hated you my whole life, and I have carried this rage all these years, hurting everyone around me because of you,” is the message he wants to give. The …
Could all the extra “stuff” I’ve accumulated over the years be weighing on my Spirit? That’s the premise of Barry Dennis’ new book: “The Chotchky Challenge: Clear the Clutter from your Home, Heart, and Mind … and Discover the True Treasure of your Soul”. Chotchky is a Yiddish word that Dennis has a difficult time defining in the first pages …
If you are like me, you don’t think much about death. As those close to us pass away, though, the question will inevitably come up: “What will happen to me when I die?” Anita Moorjani had that question, too, before being stricken with cancer. In her new book “Dying To Be Me: My Journey From Cancer, To Near Death, To …
My biggest challenge to my Spring weight loss efforts occurred last Friday. I couldn’t resist cashing in a free meal birthday coupon to Steak and Shake. There I sat staring at my wife’s huge chocolate shake. Would I give in and order one for myself? No! I resisted, thanks to a different type of weight loss program I wrote about …
“Writer’s workshop this weekend. Am I really a writer? Part of me feels intimidated going to a workshop like this. I haven’t written anything and I’m not sure I will. I’ll be surrounded by very driven people with definite goals.” So I wrote in my journal last week as I anticipated attending a Hay House Writer’s Workshop, two full days …