This Thanksgiving season, let’s take a moment to appreciate all of the things that bring light into our lives. Being grateful doesn’t mean that everything is perfect ...

Long ago, a work colleague asked me an interesting question: “When you think about time, how do you picture it?” Without hesitating, I said ...

In some parts of the world, this weekend is a time to remember our loved ones who have gone before us. We recall the things that made them special … the things they taught us … the love they brought to our lives.   Remembering them can be painful because we’re reminded of all we’ve lost. But remembering can be joyful, too, because we’re reminded of everything we've gained by sharing our life’s path with them.   In Mexico, they emphasize the joyful aspect of remembering. Inste

Some challenges in life are easy to solve – but others can leave us scratching our heads looking for a workable solution. Take this tree, for example.   The lone tree caught my eye with its vibrant patches of orange and yellow mixed with all the leaves that still remained green. I’m a sucker for fall foliage, and I thought this colorful tree in transition might make for an interesting photograph.   But as I've seen many times before, what catches our eye and what works well a

When the sun sets in Naples, Florida, it’s something of a sacred ritual. Crowds of locals and tourists head to the beach with chairs and...

When a candle has been lit for too long, it exhausts itself and eventually burns out. That’s how Bonnie and I have been feeling: so many...

It was right in front of me the whole time, but I didn't see it. Or, to put it more accurately, I'd been seeing it every day for so long...

They descended from the tree like muscular legs anchored in the soil. In the sinewy shapes of these roots, I saw angels and mermaids and...

My father-in-law John Lettieri was not a rich man. After serving with the Marines in World War II, he worked three jobs to make ends meet...

In the neighborhood where I grew up, I was tormented by a classic bully. This kid was the picture of toughness: He had long stringy blond...

If you've ever tried to photograph a hummingbird in a large open area, you know how maddeningly quick and elusive they can be. These tiny...

I came across a quote from the poet Rainer Maria Rilke that struck me like a gong in a temple. It resonated deeply with me because it...

Last week, sadly, I learned that a former colleague died recently at age 68. His name was Clay Andrews and he was one of the founding...

There are two kinds of beauty in this world. There’s surface beauty, which is skin deep and gradually erodes with time until it’s gone....

My hematologist told a story about one of her patients suffering from an incurable blood cancer. To her surprise, he was incredibly...

I stood on a footbridge in Freedom Park, watching the reflections of trees and sky in the creek below. Later on, I did some reflecting of...

We don’t have to travel to another country to find sights that fill us with wonder. It can happen right in our own backyard.   After we...

It’s easy to get wrapped up in things in a way we never intended. When that happens, it can be difficult (and sometimes impossible) to...

It was an ordinary morning that became an extraordinary one for a very simple reason: I gave it my fullest attention. And that...

As temperatures in Charlotte hit the mid-90s last week, our upstairs air conditioning unit broke down in the middle of the night. A check...