It was ten years ago. I was in the midst of finishing out the year as a long term sub at the local Christian high school. My daughter, a freshman, was one of my students. Some of the other students had been intrigued by the fact that she was comfortable having her mom as a […]

The first soccer practice of the season had just ended. The moms were lined up in an assortment of vans and other family vehicles, eager to see how their sons had fared. “So how did practice go?” my friend Emily asked her nearly thirteen-year-old son. She hoped the tone of her voice expressed the right […]

The strong pungent flavor of the vanilla available just across the border from our San Diego home was a treat I enjoyed during our years living there. Somehow it seemed my cookies had so much more flavor when I added that Mexican Vanilla. So, when our family relocated to the East Coast, I carried with […]