From My Front Porch

Life's stories connect lives

Who’s Following You?

Some of us have a knack for learning from other’s mistakes, while others have to learn through our own. Maturity says we learn from the examples of others and save ourselves the headache.

Our little guy shocked us when he was in second grade with an example none of us could soon forget. The blunder took his father with us to a home school class out of town–a full day off work–to confess a lie he told when caught up in the moment. A visiting meteorologist in science class sparked a one-upping moment from the eager little learners, and my boy could not be outdone, so he shared with tears in his eyes a completely imaginary account of losing his baby sister in a tornado. Facing that lie took help, and a father who loved him made the perfect partner. [Read more…]

When You’ve Hit Your Spending Limit

“No Son, I don’t have the money,” my younger self often said.

“Just use that credit card,” more often than not the reply rolled so easily off my children’s tongues. They had very little understanding of how money works and that that card linked to actual money in my account, that we actually could run all the way out of money. [Read more…]

The Grass is Always Greener…

“If the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence, take better care of your lawn,” many wise fathers often tell their children.

I recently saw this photo on my friend Meredith’s FB page and instantly felt jealous of all her bounty. Then I realized how much work she does to maintain these gardens, and the produce section of my market suddenly grew more compelling. [Read more…]

A Freshly Made Mind

I’m one of those crazy ladies who make their beds each morning. Don’t worry, this isn’t one of those guilt pieces persuading you to make your bed neatly every day.

I just wake up in a cloud of confusion and seem to stay there long into my day if I don’t follow a specific routine. I pad down the stairs and grasp at one of my faithful coffee cups–most, gifts from my treasure of former students who understand my love of coffee. Through blurry eyes, I mechanically brew a cup of the amazing elixir. I know the coffee will be ready for me after plodding to the restroom and back. Finally, leaning back in my glider rocker with feet up and eyes barely open, I pour life into my soul. [Read more…]

The Ultimate Letter of Recommendation

I’m often asked to provide reference letters for my students. I take this task very seriously.

I’m very specific in my descriptions of students because I have access to analytical tools and keep extensive records. I can go back several years and pull up records to show not only the students’ academic ability but also their work ethic. Students with several notes from teachers about late assignments–still in the records by the way–may not receive the highly anticipated glowing reference they desire. They maintained a decent grade on raw intellect, but the record shows all was not well. [Read more…]