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They say God’s grace comes when you need it and not a moment sooner, and I think this explains how my heart began to thaw when I saw Camille, heard her cry and felt the doctor lay her 6-pound body on my chest. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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Rick Watson.

Sunday was Christmas-tree day at the Watsons’. We were hoping for sunshine. Instead, it was misting rain. The soles of my shoes squished in parking-lot mud, but our spirits lifted when we saw a stand of ice-blue cedars among the Christmas trees. Read more

Rick Watson

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On social media, however, we get to skip the real-life challenge of trying to work through differences and instead join tribes. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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Jilda and I recently had a minor crisis in our lives: Our coffee maker died. It was a slow, tragic death. Read more

Rick Watson

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I find it interesting (and somewhat crazy) that Americans will pack stadiums and pour money into a sport that revolves around one ball. Many people care more passionately about who dominates that one ball than they do eternal matters. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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My Dad’s birthday was this week. He would have been 96 years old. Read more

Rick Watson

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There’s an art to casting a lure that weighs less than a sneeze. It took a while to get the hang of it, but I soon fell into the rhythm. Read more

Rick Watson

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“What makes a marriage work is not the same thing as what makes a date work. … You want somebody who falls in love with your soul and not your body or your pocketbook, because those things fade away.” — T.D. Jakes Read more

Kari Kampakis

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Some of my favorite memories from childhood revolved around our front porch. Read more

Rick Watson

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It takes a thousand choices to get where you want to be in life. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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One morning last week as we walked, I saw something in the barnyard that caught my attention: a shard of cobalt blue glass from an old Noxzema jar. Read more

Rick Watson

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A mom of five kids (all teenagers) once told me that something they discuss a lot in their home is recovery. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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I’ve had a fascination with books for as long as I can remember. Read more

Rick Watson

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“My daughter told me I need to get a life,” my friend said, and we laughed because her daughter is in sixth grade. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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Of the many lessons I try to teach my children, one of the most essential lessons is to trust their gut instincts and funny feelings. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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Sometimes being mindful is harder than you might think. Read more

Rick Watson

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I don’t pretend to be a saint — Lord knows I have faults — but I try to “see” people. Read more

Rick Watson

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I have a confession: If I had to choose one audience to write for — adults or teenagers — I would choose teenagers. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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At lunchtime the other day, I left my office to attend a Chamber of Commerce lunch meeting. The sky was tombstone gray with light mist falling. Read more

Rick Watson

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When someone asks, “How are you doing?” they aren’t looking for an elaborate answer. They usually expect a generic response that goes down easy and doesn’t create awkward silences. Read more

Kari Kampakis

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