Feb 122013
 
 February 12, 2013  Relationships 20 Responses »
Putting the heart back in Valentine's Day

Every time I think about Valentine’s Day, I remember the inevitable Charlie Brown cartoon with Charlie dreaming of all the Valentine’s cards he would get and then finding his mail box empty. I always sympathized. I still remember Valentine’s Day in elementary school. We put our cards into a decorated box, and then the box was opened and the cards distributed. It was always agony for me. I was neither popular nor an outcast, but I dreaded Valentine’s Day. I’m still not crazy about it, but for different reasons. Since Christmas, every time I go into a store I’m bombarded [ Read more...]

Jul 012010
 
 July 1, 2010  Inspiration, Relationships Comments Off
Listening with your mind and your heart

This is one of two blogs I wrote in 2009 that won The Word Guild 2010 Award for Blog Series this June. “Some people are uncoachable,” said the speaker, who was giving tips on mentoring others. I nodded in agreement. I'd recently been thinking the same thing, and it was good to hear him affirm my thoughts. Now, I've known for years that many people don’t want to be taught. But those aren't the ones he was referring to. He was talking about people who've actually come to you for advice and information. The speaker said he tries very hard [ Read more...]

Jan 062010
 
 January 6, 2010  Inspiration, Relationships 1 Response »
Why I've been reluctant to ask for help

I wrote a blog that's really a follow-up to the one I posted here yesterday. My single resolution for 2010 – Lindquist It’s pretty simple. My resolution for this year is that I’m going to ask for help this year. At least once a week, if possible. From people who aren’t married to me and didn’t come into this world because of me, and therefore don’t owe me anything. I’ve never really liked asking for help. Don’t actually like asking people for anything, if it comes to that. I grew up as an only child who spent an inordinate amount [ Read more...]

Sep 022009
 
Tack För senast: The Scandinavian influence on my mysteries

I saw the upcoming topic for Mystery Reader -  “Scandinavian Mysteries” – and thought, “Nothing to do with me.” A few days later, I got an email about it and deleted it. Several weeks passed. Then, one day while my husband and I were babysitting our grandson, Leif, we got talking, for some reason, about Christmas and about some of the traditional foods we eat, like julekake and potato lefse. All of a sudden, I slapped myself upside the head and shouted, “Scandinavian Mysteries!” My husband, naturally, was confused. I rolled my eyes. “I’ve lived for 35 years in a [ Read more...]