Self-confidence. If it could be reduced to a potion and drunk from a bottle, many of us would buy it.

I have scars on each knee that I've sported most of my life. Here's the back story:

A few years ago I took a personal retreat for the weekend to rest and write.

Happy Love Day. I know, I know. Some people quietly endure this day of hearts.

My maternal grandmother, whom we affectionately and fearfully called "Big Mama," used to make us grandchildren turn off all the lights in the house during thunderstorms and sit quietly on the floor of her living room.

I must say, I'm a die-hard "Downton Abbey" fan.

As we enter this brand-new year, holiday cookies have grown stale, the festive party lights have faded and we are ready to write our resolutions, eager for self-improvement and forward motion.

We have come to a place where words falter. Hope stands on a precipice, uncertain. Our nation has been through so many instances of senseless violence, we hardly recover from one before another storms in, overshadowing the shock and sadness of the last.

Ever been around someone who thinks they are generally superior to you and most people they know?

My parents are at it again. They were on the lookout for a new adventure and, sure enough, they've found one. After a whirlwind interview and observation weekend at an international boarding school last month, they have accepted the position of house parents there.