Years ago, I loved the television series Doogie Howser, M.D.. On the show, a much younger Neil Patrick Harris played a precocious 14-year old boy who happened to be a licensed physician in a difficult residency program. Each episode examines the tension created when the ordinary (boy) collides with the extraordinary (boy). With regards to […]
Learning How to Age from Visits to an Old Lady
Mrs. Burdette, the lady who had been old since I was a little girl, was a bit like a grandmother. We met her at our church where she “adopted” us. She had no grandchildren and only two grown children—a son who visited infrequently and a daughter with Downs Syndrome who lived in a group home. […]
The Boy and Girl List (The mostly true story about the time I gave marriage advice to the cute police officer who pulled me over.)
What was that? I slowed slightly, turned off the radio, listened. Nothing. I flipped down the rearview mirror. Blue and red lights flashed. I rolled out my lower lip. Really? Twice in one day? After I maneuvered my car to the side of the road, I rolled down my window and watched his approach in the […]
Stepping Out of the Shadows–A Mother’s Day Gift for Everyone
“Hi, my name is Katie, and I am a crier. I’ve been a crier for a long time.” I cry about everything. Hallmark commercials (most commercials). Children’s books. While at the grocery store and on the sidelines of a parade. And while the majority of the world somehow has their act together enough to keep […]
You Can’t Handle the Truth: Why You Should Think Twice Before Giving Advice
Dear Abby had it easy when it came to giving advice. She counseled strangers. From afar. She didn’t see or hear their fury, angst, and excuses when they disagreed with what she had to say. Countless times over the years Tony Bear has shared his giving advice protocol with me. “When people ask for my […]
