The centerpiece for this lively table features my father’s favorite bowling ball. If you look closely, you can see his engraved initials, C.P.O. – Clarence Patrick O’Connor. It is surrounded at its base by…

My dad. A man content with golfing with his buddies at the Fox Valley Golf Club on Thursdays, bowling for Simon’s Cheese Co. as “Shorty” on Wednesday nights, and howling with the other retired…

My family has a favorite memory of my father. Each day during meals, whether we were eating filet mignon or week-old tuna casserole, whether it was he and I enjoying a quiet lunch or…

Written October 14, 2011 Today is my 48th birthday. As the Facebook messages pop up and my husband and children extend their greetings, my thoughts turn to the topic of receiving. Receiving birthday blessings,…

Written September 28, 2011 Having my artwork hanging at Old Crown has been a fulfilling experience. It’s definitely fun to have so many of my pieces together in one place, other than my own…

Written September 26, 2011 Recently I was given the opportunity to witness a tremendous gift of loving honesty. It happened unexpectedly at a family weekend when my husband’s family was together at our home…

Written September 12, 2011 I know. At first glance the title of this post is a bit oxymoronic. After all, every single one of us has been touched in some way by the sadness…

Yesterday I did something I’ve had on my to-do list for years. Yes, years. I picked up the phone and called Ellen Kort, the author of one of my favorite poems, If Death Were…

Written May 19, 2011 In yoga practice lately, I have been very conscious of the breath and am better able to pair it with the movements and poses, something that has always been difficult…

When I first became involved with Habitat for Humanity, I was overwhelmed with the lengthy, difficult journey that each partner family had traveled in reaching the point of purchasing their home. I was also…