For many years I have written a Christmas story to send to friends and family in lieu of cards. Though I wrote this some time ago, it seems particularly appropriate for this moment in history and this season of hope. For the Believers–what might have been by Janice Leavitt Voorhies She was so tired. She…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost Not too long ago, a friend sent me pictures of her speaking at the annual National League of Cities Conference in Kansas City. The heading at the bottom of her text was, “How the heck did I get…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in Robert Frost I’ve always been a storyteller. When I was in the eighth grade, I recall my teacher explaining the definition of “loquacious” to the class. “Janice is loquacious,” he said. Everyone nodded in complete understanding. At the time I…
Home is the place where, when you got there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost One morning this week I was at the Utah State Capitol. During past annual six-week legislative sessions in the early spring every year, I had spent a good deal of time in that building as an elected official…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost There’s not much about Halloween I like. I’ve never been a fan of the “dark side”. I don’t like costumes or weird make-up. I can hardly manage to keep my house décor up to the standards of the…
Home is the place where, when you have to go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost I’ve noticed a peculiar phenomenon when I wake up now days. For a moment time fades and five- or ten-seconds pass as I imagine I’m a still child in my parents’ home again. Then I come…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost On a dusty shelf of one of two bookcases in my bedroom is a worn three-ring notebook overflowing with random scraps of paper and a notable lack of organization. I’ve been adding to it for many years, usually…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost I started my mid-life teaching career as a substitute. I thought I could work a couple of days a week and kind of back into a full-time teaching job down the road. The local school district (not the…
Home is the place where, when we go there, they have to take us in. Robert Frost My husband is fond of saying, “I always wanted our kids to grow up to be better people than we are. But do they have to be so damn much better?” Apparently they do. But when they were…
Home is the place where, when you go there, they have to take you in. Robert Frost This summer Son #1 became a grandfather. He’s physically a big guy, about 6’ 5” with mountain biking muscles and a personality that fills every room he walks into. But for the last couple of months, he’s been…