While February is known as the month of love, I think less about romance and more about the love of friends. If anything, it has been the love of my friends that has supported my nearly 40 years of love with my husband, Gary. We live in an age of increasing isolation, losing the deep social capital that once wove our communities together. I count it a privilege in 2025 to live in the same…
4 CommentsA Grain of Salt Posts
In the Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen Light a candle – Creative Co-op has some fun candle shapes. Lectio 365 NUUN – Martin Luther King Day – A book recommendation for children. The Story of Ruby Bridges – I love this book and how it elevates Ruby Bridges’ faith in God.
Leave a CommentI’m getting to that age when I find myself scanning obituaries and realizing that the list of people I know is longer than those I don’t. But, as it turns out, the obituary column isn’t the only place I become keenly aware of the absence of familiar faces. My regular visits to the military grocery store—the commissary—seem to bring people’s absence into sharper focus. I’ve been shopping at the Annapolis Navy Commissary for over 60 years.…
3 CommentsDecluttering for the Upgrade When my phone nudges me with a “Software Update Available,” I swipe it away without much thought. Those alerts feel more like a pesky sales pitch than a necessity. Honestly, I don’t want to deal with the interruption—or risk a glitch—by starting an update. But eventually, those persistent notifications, dressed in their clever little red badges, wear me down. I start poking around, checking reviews to see if the upgrade is…
2 CommentsA Family Connection The world is reflecting on the extraordinary life of President Jimmy Carter as tributes pour in. Among the many chapters of his remarkable journey, one small but meaningful connection ties our family story to his legacy: the SSK-1, a small experimental submarine. President Carter served as the engineering officer on this vessel, while my father, Frank Andrews, served as the commanding officer. In a photograph from that time, you can see:Front Row,…
6 CommentsThis is not the Appalachian folktale. This is my tale about three trees. In the early 1980s, I lived in the Philippines, where I learned how Christmas trees were shipped to the Pacific for U.S. military members stationed overseas. These trees, cut months earlier and transported thousands of miles, were both expensive and often lackluster. Before transferring from Virginia to Hawaii, I decided to avoid the hassle and expense by purchasing a fake tree from…
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