As a teenager, I wish I had known how to overcome not only insecurities, but self-doubt and timidity, too. Like my monogrammed purse, I carried them everywhere. You would expect that at my age, I would have conquered them. Not so. “It’s upside down, hanging on the...
"This is the third and final notice," the message said. "Your backup system is three weeks overdue." My muscles got a bit tense. That meant if my computer crashed, with no back up, I’d lose what I stored in it? All the book manuscripts that took me years to write....
Have you ever been happy with yourself, totally satisfied? I felt that way a few weeks ago when I re-wrote the first chapter of the novel I had just completed. The story, engaging and the characters, sassy and insightful. The end product was, well, a masterpiece...
Trying to adjust to our new home and culture in the U.S., I looked different than the sixth grade girls. But in time, I learned enough English to understand their harsh comments. How could I build self-esteem while enduring the ridicule from my classmates? They were...
I have to admit, I’m married to a man who knows the power of words. Last night, before dinner, I pulled out forks from the silverware drawer. I turned to hubby and in a casual tone, I said, “Know what? I just heard of a natural supplement that curbs your craving for...
It was Halloween and my young sons were already learning how to deal with disappointment. After hours of trick or treating, they walked in with bags jammed with Halloween candy. I greeted them at the door and held out my hand. “Give them all to Mom.” I said faking a...
Is that possible? Do ordinary people do extraordinary things? I asked myself that when my grandmother hugged me and kissed my cheek as we stood beside the old taxi cab that would take us to the La Paz airport and head to our new home in the U.S. “Someday, you’ll do...
"Over a hundred years? Who in the world wants to live that long!" my friend said as she read the story of the man who has been documented as living the longest in modern times--a Bolivian man, reported to be 123 years old. Carmelo Flores Laura recently died after...
"It's the coolest thing!" my friend nearly squealed. "Hubby got it for me. And I wear it on my wrist." Curiosity nudged me to ask, "What is it? A gorgeous bracelet?" "No," she chuckled. "It's called a Fit Bit. And it's a bracelet programmed to my cell. It measures...
It was the strangest thing. My pillow was lumpy. What in the world? I thought as I reached inside the pillowcase and pulled out several of my favorite scarves one right after the other—my red, green, and lavender. “Young lady,” I called out to my six-year-old...