A painting, a treasured friendship and more than thirty years of memories. The story of a barefoot shepherdess who found her place in my home and never left.

I've always liked Mondays. And one of the reasons might surprise you. Sometimes the most ordinary conveniences are worth a little extra appreciation.

As I was walking this morning, I had a surge of happiness. It never ceases to amaze me how wonderful our world—and life—can truly be. We are such smart and inventive people. I won’t talk about putting a man on the moon because that has almost become a cliché: Wow! We put a man on the moon! While I am certainly not negating the importance—or sheer ingenuity—of that feat, it is hardly the only accomplishment worth marveling at. Sometimes even the smaller things are the ones tha

I met Elizabeth Packard this summer. Well, technically, Elizabeth died in 1897, so perhaps I should say I met her through the pages of The Woman They Couldn't Silence by Kate Moore. And apparently, Elizabeth has decided to stay with me. Elizabeth was a wife and mother living in Illinois in the 1800s. She was intelligent, deeply religious, opinionated and increasingly willing to question some of the beliefs held by her husband, a minister. Having her own opinions and convictio