Because of my own issues navigating my tough tween-age years, I focused my college studies on elementary education and early secondary education and my doctoral dissertation on the development of schools for pre-adolescent children. I was privileged to lead teams of caring and brilliant teachers, counselors and social workers throughout my career. Memories of some of those children and educators are seared in my memory forever. This one in particular. A counselor at the middle school where I … [Read more...]

The air that angels breathe   Today is National Aviation Day - a day to salute the magic of flight and, for me, a day to honor my late husband's lifelong dream to be an air force pilot. My first date with Larry was a visit to Reese Air Force Base in Lubbock, where we both were students at Texas Tech. "I never get tired of watching the same landing patterns over and over," he told me. "I'm going to officer training school after I graduate and to pilot training after that." Just before we … [Read more...]

True friends live in your heart forever, even if you haven’t seen or heard from them for years. That’s how I feel about some of the patients I lived with at the Menninger Clinic. Those relationships were part of the inspiration for writing my memoir “Where the Water Meets the Sand.” As a teenager I had many secrets. I was so ashamed of drinking alone and getting pregnant, I didn't tell even my closest friends. So while we had much in common and had grown up together, I felt very different … [Read more...]