About this time every year, I feel like the manger gets crowded. I am talking about the little borrowed space where it is said that Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, not of Pennsylvania. We have …

On December 7, 1941, the newlyweds, Bruno and Dorothy Tonetti, were returning to New York City after an idyllic two-week honeymoon in Florida. They had not called anyone or listened to the news. They …

It is a gift to live in an area filled with natural beauty. It is also a gift to be surrounded by visual artists in many media who reflect that beauty in their work and in the thoughts and emotions …

My alarm clock has fur. I am thankful for the gentle tap of my cat’s paw on my nose when it’s time to get up. I put food in his bowl, make coffee and start the morning, which includes …

I have grieved the death of people I loved. I did not know what it would feel like to lose a friend. Unlike previous generations who lost loved ones and friends in wars or who lost siblings to …

My maternal grandmother was an expert at crocheting. She found it relaxing. For most of her life, she crocheted intricate patterns with thin white thread and a small metal crochet hook. Her hook …

My only sibling’s birthday was on Halloween. I am going to celebrate this occasion by telling you about him and our relationship. My mother didn’t want him to be born on Halloween …

As chaplain for the chancel choir, I offer a brief devotional at rehearsals. One evening, I began by asking what the phrase “stay in your lane” meant to them. I had no idea a discussion …

When I was a child, an old jacket hung on the hooks in the stairway to our basement. My mother liked to weed things out that my father thought were “still good.” The morning she discarded …

In Denmark, you can check out a book or another human at the library. This innovative project is called “The Human Library” and its aim is to fight prejudice and stigma of marginalized …

Before my father left for his store, he would line up what he was taking with him on the dining room table. His daily departing mantra was, “Wallet, comb, handkerchief, keys and change.” …

I speak one language. Many people in European countries speak languages in addition to their native one. Granted, in Europe, countries are closer together. Even so, beyond Europe, people speak …

Singing has always been a part of my life because my mother was a singer. My mother sang in our church choir and in a ladies’ barbershop group called Sweet Adelines. She sang around the house. …

I was fortunate to experience the play, “Come from Away,” a Tony award-winning musical at the Alhambra Dinner Theater in Jacksonville last Tuesday evening. I saw the video of the Broadway …

What do you say when you don’t know what to say? We face the dilemma of knowing what to say in the wake of grief, loss, tragedy, illness, natural disaster or any of the difficult and painful …

The phrase “it takes a village” refers to a cooperative effort. The town where I used to live is incorporated as a village. This strikes me as odd because the population is 27,000. …

I try to show empathy for bugs and other creatures I find in my space. If possible, I pick them up in something (not with my hands) and take them outside. If not, I apologize to them before I squish …

I am embarrassed now that I was not happy when I found out the first service of a Unitarian Universalist church I was going to would be the youth service. Youth services, in my previous experience, …

I was looking for a video on YouTube and stumbled across something much better. It is a company called Hopscotch Songs that makes wonderful animated educational videos for children. Among their …

I am happy to have a U.S. passport. It allows me to travel internationally and is a valuable piece of identification. I also have a valid Florida driver’s license with the proper identifier on …