Find Comfort and Inspiration 
Saye and Moira are best friends. Moira was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer recently. And what did Saye do? She turned up the love. She even threw a surprise party for Moira the night before her chemotherapy began. She wanted to shower Moira with love before her heartless journey. The night of the party,
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We had such sad news this week. My son Matthew’s friend Jason died, a young man we remember best as a sweet and shy seventh grader. To put a positive spin on this would be a crime. He was a boy who struggled, and that is all there is to say. Remarkably, I found a
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A big comfort-food meal, gathering with gratitude in mind, these are the reasons Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. I’m not going to say it’s not stressful because it is. You have to make a lot of things—this one’s favorite this, that one’s favorite that. I can’t help but get cranky and high-pitched in the hours
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Beth Bolgla has a unique and wonderful vision for on living. She’s present, clear-eyed, and curious, with the kind of positive attitude that seems both innate and thoughtfully considered. She’s is also positive about things that most people aren’t. Beth visited me a few years ago to discuss featuring her ceramics at Catherine’s Table, my
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The day we dropped our daughter Emma off at Rhodes College was a not a day orchestrated for reflection. There was a fast-paced schedule to keep. When Emma was settled in her dorm room, I began to see the signs. They came like gifts and tonics. The first came from head of food service, who
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One of my best investments in comfort is the rocking chair on our porch that sits facing east for the new day. Most mornings I step outside to a black sky and sit with the last bit of night. I’m wrapped in fleece from head to toe in a big furry robe and old shearling slippers.
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It has been a year since my husband Mark’s father died. His sister Barbara and I were there for the last test of life and the final blessing from a hospital priest. A year later, Lou’s gifts of unquestioning optimism and confidence seem more remarkable than ever. All his accomplishments began with a foundation of
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Home alone this morning I decided to make pancakes and serve my soon-to-be happy myself with handmade ceramics. I even had a tiny ceramic pitcher for the maple syrup. Fill it and you have just enough syrup for a pancake. I added a handmade juice cup and napkin just because. Perfection. I adore a handmade
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Kay Math is a wonder and a beloved aunt. In addition to parenting her five children, she is a mom to many of her nieces and nephews, including me. She taught me how to bake, sew, iron, shuck corn, slice a tomato and churn butter. By example, she demonstrated how to be a gracious hostess
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Growing up I shared my favorite family dinners with my dad and his brother. I moved into their little apartment senior year of high school. It was a relief from the chaos of living with my mom who couldn’t care for me anymore. Their predictable world was just what I needed. Every item had a
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