“Now that we have a quiet moment,” the volunteer coordinator at the library said to me, pulling me aside in the momentary lull of our book sale. A normally jovial woman got very serious for a moment. I thought, “Uh oh. She’s gonna tell me to ‘tone it down.’” I’d been laughing and goofing with the patrons of our book sale and the other volunteers—per usual since I'd arrived for my three-hour shift. What she said next shocked me. It might have surprised many people in my life w

I don't often receive surprise packages in the mail. I can't say "never," but it's definitely a rarity. In late summer last year, I was treated to such an act of kindness when a box arrived at my doorstep. And what was inside the box blew me away. I wear my emotions on my sleeve--unapologetically--and when I opened it to find a note from my friend Susan saying, "Your essay inspired me to create something special for you," tear ducts burst open, releasing a briny stream down m

Deb, Donna, me, and Tedd. It was all smiles at the book sale with this volunteam! I made up a new word: volunteaming. I've decided it means "the state of immediately feeling like part of a team while volunteering." Read on, and you'll see why. My mom and I often laugh about the time she took me to my little hometown's public library for story hour when I was five or something. While all the other kids gathered around the librarian to hear the tale she was about to tell, I bac