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No fancy send-off. No big announcement. Just a meaningful chapter closing quietly.

Perhaps I was never meant to have an office or a regular job. Perhaps those years prepared me for a time such as this. Maybe this is simply my time to fly.

The check engine light went on in my car and I ignored it. The next day I got a call from Lincoln letting me know it was on and then they asked if they could help me schedule service. I had planned to ignore it, but this made it easy. Under warranty, my car was repaired and the light turned off. A similar scenario has been happening with my body. It raised the alarm and I had no choice but to schedule a repair. A perfect storm of events triggered a UTI. Most things won

For the last several years I have spent my early spring planning out my beautiful garden. You know like the ones on Pinterest with the all the plants in neat containers and overflowing with bounty. With this image in mind, I toil through the spring getting the soil ready and planting my seeds. Each year I get a little closer to my image. The first year, within months my walkways were covered with weeds taller than my planting beds. I didn’t realize my dream included weeding.

The 4th of July, in my family, has always been a big celebration. My whole family, which sometimes included 50 people or more, would gather at my grandmother’s house in Blue Island. The day started with breakfast on the driveway. My great uncles would fry bacon in a large pan on the grill and then fry eggs in the grease. Inside the great aunts would be making German potato salad, scrambled eggs and toast. It was a flurry of activity and energy with almost everything being don

Too often I think we get stuck thinking about what is not working or what can’t be fixed rather than what is possible.

You have to take that leap of faith toward a new idea or a new way of thinking and then lead through it.

It wasn’t too long ago when I started turning the pages of an emotional outpouring of saying goodbye to four boys into a book. Ok...it was a long time ago. That was in 2017. It’s hard to believe all the places that story has taken me. I actually did it. I wrote and published a book. Not a small feat by any means, but looking back, I sort of wonder what took me so long. Why did some of the pages seem to just stick in my mind and never make it on paper? Why were there so many d

I love May Day! When I was a kid, my family would decorate baskets, roll paper doilies, or paint ceramic pots and fill them with flowers. Then we would drive around to neighbors and grandparents and try to drop them off without getting caught. I’m not sure what was more fun, making the May Day bundles or sneaking around to deliver them. I think the best part was just the pure joy and excitement of giving to others. I’ve carried on this tradition throughout my life. In my clas

I was recently on a long car trip to Nashville, TN for my son’s college day. I love listening to books to help pass the time. This trip I was excited to listen to a book by an author, Benjamin Hardy, who has really inspired me along my writing journey. Hardy writes books with strategies to encourage growth and transformational science. I was excited to listen to his newest book, Be Your Future Self Now. One of the interesting suggestions in this book was to write a letter to

Play and fun are tools that open students to learning. Don’t be an April fool, add a little to play to your routine!

Sticks and stones may break your bones, but words can make you grow!

It’s a winter wonderland. Ice covers the trees from head to toe. Rain falls. Water freezes encasing the branches in a thick, shimmering block of ice . A crunching sound fills the air. I look, trying to locate the source of the sound. A tree once solid and strong lays split on the ground. Another crunch and another tree falls to the ground. I stand in awe trying to embrace the beauty of the crystal forest in contrast to the slow, nearly silent destruction of the mighty trees s

My dad has given my mom the same Valentine card for the last twelve years. Some may think this isn’t very flattering, but I can assure you this is a gift of pure devotion. Have you ever tried to save a card for an entire year and remember where you put it? This card has become more than just a card, it’s a reminder of their love and a sort of time capsule of their years together. As my dad resurrects this card each year, they enjoy reading over past quotes and remembering tho

Have you ever had one of those moments where reality doesn’t match your expectations? Sometimes when this happens it’s easy to get stuck in a downward spiral. This happened to me recently. I was so excited to be accepted to present at the annual MEGT conference in Brainerd, Minnesota at the end of January. I know it seems strange to be excited about driving up to Brainerd in January, but this conference had been an annual event when I lived in Minnesota. It was a time to gath

The best way to tackle perfectionism is to celebrate your imperfections.

What are some moments when you experienced joy?

I love Christmas lights. I love how the dark nights are made just a little brighter with the lights from a house or a tree. I especially love white lights. Just a simple row of white lights around a tree or framing a house sends a warm glow through my heart. Just as magical for me is the simple glow of a candle. I’m amazed at how such a small light can often seem to warm a whole room or even create a sense of calm and peace. This concept of lighting up a room really hit home

Creating miracles in students requires unwavering belief and extraordinary effort.

Fall is a great time to do more than lean in - Jump In - and scatter blessings everywhere you go!