I’m a Florida girl living in the New Mexico desert. I got married and moved from sandy white beaches to mile high mountains five years ago and I am finally getting adjusted to all four seasons (because Florida has just …
How IKEA Made Me Want to Go to Church
Like many churchgoing couples who become parents, we stopped attending services after the birth of our first daughter. We couldn’t figure out how to make it work while our infant was taking four naps a day; and any time we …
My Magenta Shoes
In almost every way I have chosen a colorless existence. A peek inside my bedroom closet reveals a sea of black and grey resting neatly on velvety hangers. My sofa, barstools and kitchen table are all brightly beaming in shades …
The Legacy of a Mail-Order Bride
My father worked as a busboy at a noodle shop in San Francisco, Chinatown. My mother was a mail-order bride, whose marriage was arranged by a “mei-ren,” a Chinese matchmaker. At 17 years old, she flew from Hong Kong and …
Clean Breath
May 14-20 is Mental Health Awareness week I’ve never been considered a neat person. I’ve struggled with depression since I was a child, and my way of dealing with life was simply just not dealing. Cleaning so easily overwhelmed me, …
Live Expectantly
This article appears in the latest spring issue of Connections. You know those people whom good fortune seems to follow? We all know people like this – they seem to bring clear skies with them wherever they go. They win tickets …
Making My Own Kimchi
photo credit: Tasha Burgoyne When God formed my limbs, shaped my eyes and decided to give me my mother’s dark, thick hair, through her: he fed me kimchi. Aside from being a non-negotiable side dish to every meal at our dinner table, …
May Pandemonium
May is a bit of a tease, isn’t it? It marks the end of spring, the rain has slowed but the warmth is here to stay. The lengthening days are plentiful with sunshine. The sun is always alluring me to …
The Best Assumptions
I have not always been one to assume the best about others. There, I said it. It’s not pretty, but it’s true. As a teenager, I was a people-pleaser who followed the rules. That combination means that I didn’t get …
Salty Scaredy-Cat
The email read: “A resident may have spotted a Florida panther near the woods. Please be careful after dusk, especially if you have small children.” My mind read:”There is a massive panther living in the woods behind building 200, and …