RESTORING THE JOY

“Mom, what do we DO with all of this?”

My young children whispered their overwhelmed anxiety as they took in the array of china, silver, and crystal in front of each of them. Our family had been invited to a fancy wedding reception, children included. I knew they would...

“That person certainly has been in that bathroom for a long time. I don’t know how much longer I can wait!”

“Are you sure there’s someone in there?”

“Well, the sign above the handle said ‘OCCUPIED’ when I went over there a few minutes ago. And I haven’t seen anyone come...

“Who put sugar in my salt shaker? Was it you, Christine?”

Every morning and evening my father brushed his teeth with salt. The sugar replacement was a harmless prank. He pretended to be a bit “put out” by my April Fools trick, but he joined in our laughter. We pulled th...

“You have to wait, now. In just one minute I’ll show you the picture.”

My dad had brought home his new purchase, a Polaroid camera, his latest quest for the best in photo technology. He had cameras for taking slides, prints, and stereo 3D images. He even had a special c...

“Aimez-vous la luge?” I asked our young student from France. His wide eyes grew even larger.

“No! No! No!”

Obviously my search for “roller coaster” in the pocket dictionary I had with me got the answer I had guessed already. He did NOT like them! There was no way the two...

“I’ll just take my suitcase upstairs and find something to change into from these clothes I’ve been wearing all day long on the plane. I’ll be down in a minute.”

But when I unzipped my suitcase and flipped up the cover, nothing looked familiar. A gray T-shirt? As I sear...

“Why is she swinging with just one arm? What’s wrong with her other arm?”

A nurse friend of mine was enjoying her lunch break with me at the park. I suspected something wasn’t quite