Origin Story

I went back to physical church this past Sunday after one year and four months of watching the weekly service online. It was weird – the smaller attendance, the lack of the usual treats and coffee that were always present, and saying hello to people I had not seen since I was last inside the building. One of those people was Brenda, who is a very sweet soul and who I have helped with volunteer opportunities in the past. OnRead more

#WATWB: Love in Writing

A month or so ago, I was lamenting to good friend and roommate Natasha about how I missed volunteering due to the pandemic. I missed the people contact and serving the local community. Soon after, Natasha sent me a link that would allow me to be a pen pal to an elderly woman in an assisted living or nursing facility. I let that go at the time for reasons that required justification and laziness. This past week, I thought aboutRead more

New Month, New Year

“January is here, with eyes that keenly glow, A frost-mailed warrior striding a shadowy steed of snow.” –  Edgar Fawcett After several days of above-normal temps, along with sun, rain, and pea-soup fog, it has turned colder and snowed. It’s a fitting start to the month of January in the Northern Hemisphere.  Snow and cold are expected here in the heart of winter, but not necessarily desired unless you own skis or a snowmobile.  I desire a gentler winter, with lessRead more

Yes, it’s me!

I ordered the usual chai latte with coconut milk at the drive-thru the other morning. I had to wait a bit for two cars ahead of me. When it was my turn, the cheerful, young lady opened the drive-thru window and proclaimed, “Oh, I thought it was you!” I suppose the many Saturdays of ordering a chai latte at my favorite coffee shop has left an impression. I am “that lady,” the one who orders her chai with coconut milk.Read more

Fifty-Five Years Later

Originally posted on Mary J Melange:
He had a dream. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Here we are, fifty-five years later. While there have been advancements in civil rights since Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech in 1963, our country remains embroiled in the bigotry of non-acceptance. Not by all of its…

#WATWB: A Mobile Movement

“A new type of volunteer opportunity is coming to the Fox Cities this spring in the form of the Give Back Bus. For a small donation, the Give Back Bus will transport riders on altruistic adventures around the Fox Cities area. But there’s a twist – destinations will not be revealed until the bus arrives at its final stop. Trips are generally four hours long and there is no limit to the scope of projects planned. Volunteers could help clean up a localRead more

Fifty-Five Years Later

He had a dream. “I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up, live out the true meaning of its creed: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal.” Here we are, fifty-five years later. While there have been advancements in civil rights since Martin Luther King Jr’s famous speech in 1963, our country remains embroiled in the bigotry of non-acceptance. Not by all of its people and I sincerely pray notRead more

Rare Artistic Opportunity

Weekly Photo Challenge: For this week’s challenge, show us something that stands out from the everyday. It’s a rare opportunity when parents are able to send their children to a week-long arts camp without shelling out even one penny. Yet, they were afforded that possibility this week through Mission Church, a Christian community in Appleton, WI. Since 2013, children in the area are able to come to the church during one week in August to dance, work with wood and clay,Read more