College Park Dreaming

I finally finished reading the last two editions of our Community Paper and was captivated by August’s “On the Street” question: What’s missing on Edgewater Drive? The question grabbed hold of me, making me think of “what-ifs” for our community as a whole. I actually had trouble sleeping that night with the energy the question created. Dreams and ...
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Fight For It

It’s thundering outside. Faint rumbles in the distance grow stronger, nearer as I type. The blue sky has disappeared and gray is all I see. Tree branches whip erratically as gusts of wind kick and blow, then fall suddenly still, the wind gone as quickly as it appeared. Moments of quiet hold; leaves faintly move. Thunder growls again ...
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Resting in Ancient Tradition

I love Saturday. It is the day our family chooses to rest, take a day-long break, catch our breath. No work, no “musts,” no agenda save for what will breathe renewal, delight and depth of living back into our too often workweek-wearied spirits. It’s a rhythm we hold sacred, a weekly cycle for reconnecting, a built-in pause that ...
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Summer’s Challenge

Summer. Strong and tall it smiles broadly, grinning with scandalous confidence and invitation. Wide-shouldered with the magnitude of ancient oaks it stands strikingly against the backdrop of the milder seasons. The twinkle of mischief in its sparkly nights and the let’s-get-out-of-here- recklessness of its bright blue skies are something the other seasons only wish they had. Looking us ...
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Learning to Linger

Nineteen years ago I was scurrying across the UCF campus after teaching a class for students with high apprehension of public speaking when I fell in step with one of my graduate professors. He had just heard one of my first lectures where, determined to drill every last bit of material I had prepared into the students, I ...
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Going Through No-Man’s Land

It’s almost 11 a.m. on deadline day and while I’ve sat with the laptop for two hours I haven’t a clue what to write. The one idea I had just isn’t flowing, and my creative bank feels like a dry no man’s land. My eyes wander to the outdoors. Maybe if I can’t write I should garden. Planting ...
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