Memoirs Of The Sidewalk Philosopher (Volume Two)

Child Of My Heart (Volume One)
On a brisk, January evening, she entered my life, a tiny, little thing with hair of corn silk, still reeling from a failed adoption.

Child Of My Heart (Volume Two)
During the first month we had Audrey, we worked very hard to make her feel at home. It was difficult for her, at eleven, to start all over again in a home filled with strangers.

Child Of My Heart (Volume Three)
The night I first brought Audrey home, I promised, if she were still with me when she was grown, I would try to find her mother for her. I have kept every promise I have ever made to this little girl, save this one. And now she is grown. Where do I begin?

Child Of My Heart (Volume Four)
When I look back to that night, never would I have expected the magnitude of our meeting or what lay ahead for both of us. All I realized, at that moment in time, was my uncontrollable urge to protect you. It was overwhelming!

Foster Teen Parenting
Nothing prepared me for fostering teens!! I was given nine weeks of training from the Children's Home Society before taking my first foster child. There was a great deal of information to digest in a short span of time. It left me with the innocent impression that I was ready to tackle the job. Each child comes with its own individual 'set of baggage' and you never stop learning. Their trust has been broken time and time again and they anticipate that you will be no different. Never think for one minute that, since you raised teenagers of your own, that you are ready for a foster teen. You will disillusion yourself, setting yourself up for failure before you begin.

A Second Chance
On a hot day in July, during my sixtieth year, I came full circle, stepping back into my past, facing the pain I had tried, unsuccessfully, to leave there. It had been eight years since I had seen the young woman standing before me.

Pound Puppy To Diva
If Raven knew about this article of tribute, I am certain you would see her smile with that "tooth" still standing at attention over her top lip. If she could, she would most probably say, with attitude, "Wow! From Pound Puppy to Diva in a short fourteen years!"

The Dog's Point Of View
Joey derived his name early on because of his habit when excited and happy. He will spin in place, lift his front legs to his full height, and then hop around like a Kangaroo in sheer pleasure. As a puppy, I am sure it was adorable. Now, at almost eighty pounds, it is quite a site to behold and always makes me laugh.

Twenty-First Century Thanksgiving
How Do We Connect Today With Yesterday? We must first reconnect with our childhood and the innocence of the world we find there.

Washington DC And Government
What do you actually know about Washington DC, our Constitution, and our Government?

Laus Deo "Praise Be To God"
Laus Deo! Two seemingly insignificant, unnoticed, Latin words. Out of sight and, one might think, out of mind, but very meaningfully placed at the highest point over what is the most powerful city in the most successful nation in the world

Allegiance To America, Under God
When I think of America, I think of home. This is the land where I grew up. These are the values that I share. Mine is the flag and country of which I have always held in my heart with great respect. I have always been proud to be an American! America has always been a country of great strength, yet, a country with a huge heart for others who are less fortunate or in need. It is a country where men have gone to war to protect our values and our way of life.

Lasting Happiness
What does it take to truly make you happy? Not just for the moment, but for a lifetime? Have you ever sat down quietly and really searched your soul to seek an answer to what brings lasting joy to your life? It is said, to make a man happy, you must, rather than add to his possessions, subtract from the sum of his desires. In other words, you must desire less and be happy with the things God has given you.

Reap Your Destiny
No trumpets sound when the important decisions of our lives are made. It comes silently, sometimes not even noticed, as choices are made daily by all of us. The day we are born, nature is at work. Character and destiny are her handiwork. She gives us love and hate, jealousy and reverence. All that we possess is the power to choose which impulse we decide to follow.

Aging Gracefully
Have you ever thought much about what that actually means? How do you age gracefully? What is graceful about bent shoulders, wobbly knees, shaking hands, stumbling feet, a quivering voice, falling backwards, memory lapses or those dreaded wrinkles? Well, let’s analyze these, why don’t we.

Wheelin' And Dealin' With Grandma Mart
As she crossed the driveway, I could see that she was more feeble than at my last visit and gripped tightly the handle of her cane. But I also saw the same determination on her face that had carried her through life.

Wegener's Granulomatosis
How many know what this is? How many of you can even pronounce it? I can't. And yet, I have lost my dear friend, Elsie Harris, to this disease that seemed to come out of no where. Until Elsie's diagnosis, I had never heard of it or it's deadly affects and she would be the first to tell me to alert the public of this rare disease.