• The Portrait We Paint

    Life imitates art far more than art imitates life. Oscar Wilde If you think about it, we are the artists of our own lives, and what we create is uniquely ours. The portrait we paint of ourselves is a composite of nearly every aspect of our lives. We decide, at least to some extent, what…

  • Better Now Than Never

    Our Decluttered Fireplace Mantel We spend the first half of our lives accumulating things and the last half giving them away. Author Unknown Several years ago, when we were moving into a smaller home, we rented a storage unit for all the things we thought we should keep. It seemed like the sensible thing to do.…

  • Not Today

    “What do we say to the god of death? Not today.” Game of Thrones  George R.R. Martin Coming a little late to the party, we recently finished watching all eight seasons of Game of Thrones. As I suspected it might be, the series was extremely violent. I had heard that many viewers were disappointed with the…

  • The Patina of Wear

    “Age appears best in four things: old wood to burn, old wine to drink, old friends to trust, and old authors to read.” —Francis Bacon The folding bridge table in the photo is over eighty years old, and I have owned it for more than twenty of those years. During that time, it has served…

  • The Bent Gate and the Beautiful Tree

    Stanley Britsh Primary School All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of things shall be well. Julian of Norwich One person will look at this photograph and notice the bent post in the wrought-iron gate. Another will be captivated by the brilliant colors of the tree beyond it. Is it…

  • More Than Shelves

    “A room without books is like a body without a soul.”— Cicero I recently came across the French word bibliothèque—library. It made me stop and think. In a home, a library is not simply a collection of shelves filled with books. Shelves are where books are stored. A library is something more. It reflects who you are.…

  • Happy Birthday USA

    Where liberty dwells, there is my country. Benjamin Franklin This photo was taken a few years ago at a Fourth of July party. To me, it captures the true spirit of the holiday. The Fourth of July is, above all else, a birthday celebration for our country. It isn’t about politics, military strength, or choosing…

  • The Echo of Our Words

    Words matter, and the right words matter most of all. They’re all that remains of us. John Birmingham The photo is of our neighborhood Reading Garden Park. The walls and walkways are covered with quotations—words of wisdom, humor, inspiration, and reflection. It is one of my favorite places. There is something comforting about sitting quietly,…

  • A Corner of Peace in a Busy Life

    Within you, there is a stillness and a sanctuary to which you can retreat at any time. Herman Hesse A few years ago, I placed a comfortable chair and reading lamp beside a window in our bedroom. The window catches the morning sun and looks out onto a large flowering tree that changes with the…