One of my favorite educational philosophers is Ruby Payne. Payne focuses on the unwritten rules of social classes and how various groups respond to and receive information. Payne suggests that the ways we communicate our needs depend largely on our environments. In other words, we are a product of…

I recently received an intriguing piece of jewelry in the mail. It’s a prototype of a design I hope to sell someday. But I loved it so much that I wanted one for myself. The design is rather goth-themed, featuring a coffin-cut black onyx gem in the center flanked…

My oldest son, Julian, recently approached me and asked, “Dad, can you play this song for me on the piano? I have to post a singing audition tonight.” Panic filled my body. I responded, “Oh, Julian, this song has too many fast chord changes.” He walked away, trying to find…

It isn’t that I can’t be alone. I am an introvert. As such, I can self-entertain for hours. I like spending time with my own company. I find many ways to occupy my time. Hobbies abound — I write, knit, research genealogy, geocache, record podcasts,…

Rare diseases deeply affect not only the children who experience them, but also their healthy brothers and sisters, as their parents can attest.    Two entries in November’s “Disorder: The Rare Disease Film Festival” will focus on what siblings go through, according to the San Francisco festival’s co-founder,…

Through the COVID-19 pandemic, we became used to washing our hands frequently. As we held them under the faucet, we believed that disease particles too small for the human eye would be washed away, protecting us from catching the virus. Many medical professionals, in fact, told us that strict…

As of this writing, my family and I have been in quarantine for over a week because my husband, Jared, has COVID-19. We were anxious after he tested positive,  because we didn’t know what the outcome would be. Thankfully, he’s doing much better, and his symptoms have subsided. He…

Last Friday, my wife, Cazandra, and I drove to Albuquerque from our home in Las Cruces, New Mexico, for doctor visits and other personal business. One of the best parts of the trip was taking our youngest son, Caeleb, to lunch. I know he’s 20, but sometimes I have to…

My day started like every other day — at my desk, sorting through emails inviting me to attend meetings on church activities and other community opportunities. But then, my phone lit up with a message from my son Julian, encouraging me to open a link to a song he recorded…

Last week was busy. I spent four days in the mountains on a clergy retreat at the Sacramento Camp and Conference Center in southern New Mexico. When the retreat ended last Thursday, I went to my home elsewhere in the state, met a group at my church, and then…