My friend Jean likes to tell a story about her grandfather in North Carolina. He spent his days of retirement on the porch with his next-door neighbor, staring out at the Blue Ridge Mountains and sitting together in perfect silence. Here is the punch line: in the evenings when Jean went to call him in for dinner, he would nod […]
Recent Posts By Simply Stated Blogger Contest
Good “Adwice”
My mother pronounces advice “adwice.” I don’t know why or when the V turned into a W. Maybe the change softened it, made it less directive, more of a gentle suggestion. But either way it is guidance, a prod toward a certain way of doing things. One of her favorite pieces of advice is that “It is better to be […]
The Pied Piper
The Pied Piper’s music was so persuasive that it caused a whole village of children to follow the piper out of town and into a cave; thus Hamelin, Germany lost its children. So the story goes. Last week I wrote about my friend Susie who shared with me the wisdom about friends being “for season, reason, or life.” She also […]
“Frenvy”
After writing about finding her false teeth in the popcorn, I am thinking about my dear friend Hope. There was a moment, early in our friendship, when I realized that we envied each other. We had been talking over spicy black tea about the many things that life contains: travel and how it changes you; loves that don’t work out, […]
Friends for Season, Reason, or Life
I wrote the mid-September blog about my friendship with Hope Davis while I was in California, visiting in-laws. Before making the visit I told them that I’d be a happier family member if I could have two hours every morning to myself. So I left my sleeping daughter in the hands of her new grandparents, and each morning I slipped […]
Don’t Forget to Enter our Life Lessons Essay Contest
While you’re making up your mind which of the entries in our Simply Stated Blogger Contest is your favorite, don’t forget you have until next Thursday, September 15th to enter our Fourth Annual Life Lessons Essay Contest. This year’s question is: When did your first understand the meaning of love? Visit the contest page here to get all the details […]
Vote for Your Favorite in Our First Ever Simply Stated Blogger Contest
Thank you to everyone who entered our first-ever Simply Stated Blogger Contest. We loved reading all your posts about the person you are most surprised to be friends with. From the more than 1,000 entries we received, we narrowed the pool to nine finalists. Now, we want to give you a chance to help choose the reader who will be […]
Finalist: Stacey Shannon
“Hend? Who in the world is Hend?” Opening Facebook to find the red “Messages” balloon always gives me a little thrill. But, this Hend (who is he anyway?) was new to me. Trepidation mixed with irritation as I considered opening it. With one eye open, one closed, bracing myself for the inevitable spam about “male enhancement “or painkillers, I clicked on it. Stacey, Thank […]
