Remember that scene where a discouraged Charlie Brown pleads for someone to tell him what Christmas is all about? “Isn’t there anyone…who knows what Christmas is all about??” he pleads, frustrated. Linus, blanket in tow, steps up and gives one of the most touching renditions of the Christmas Gospel ever. He finishes, walks over to…
Oh, how many hours we spent filling out paperwork; checking and double checking to ensure we didn’t miss a thing. The fees we paid. The months we spent apart. The months my husband’s job waited for him while the US government finally got around to issuing a work permit. The hours we waited, stuck in…
In the movie “Shallow Hal,” Jack Black plays Hal, an extremely (you guessed it) shallow man who only dates physically beautiful women. The gist of it is this: “[Hal] runs into self-help guru Tony Robbins, who hypnotizes him into recognizing only the inner beauty of women. Hal thereafter meets Rosemary, a largely obese woman whom…
If You Disagree with President Trump and Yet You’re Mad About the Effects of the Shutdown, You’re A Hypocrite. My family and I traveled a grand total of 6,086 air miles roundtrip to see relatives abroad for the holidays. We stood through four airport security checkpoints (that’s a whole ‘nother story), and picked up more…
It’s that time of year, people. Pretty soon it will be socially acceptable to watch Christmas movies (though if you ask our neighbors, who have had their Christmas lights up and on for weeks—I’m way behind). One of my favorites is A Christmas Story. If you haven’t watched it, watch it. Seriously, a classic. Remember…
My daughter is intensely proud of her baby brother. He, in turn, lights up when he sees her. In one heart melting moment a few days ago, she piped up with “Mommy, he’s my best friend.” To that end, she loves to be around him. Unfortunately for baby brother, big sister doesn’t quite understand the…
Once a few years back, I was hiking with my family in the Black Hills of South Dakota. When we finally made it to the top, I peered over the sheared off rock edge to catch a glimpse of the drop-off, and felt my center of gravity shift. I quickly moved back as I felt…
In the fall of 2012, an elderly California man named Jay Leone found himself the victim of a home invasion. As he sat, ordered to stay still as the thief rifled through his things, the man remembered he had a gun in the bathroom. Leone convinced the thief—a drug addict felon named Samuel Cutrufelli—to let…
You know those times when you and your siblings would be squabbling despite your mom’s repeated calls to knock it off—and finally she’d yell “ENOUGHHHHHHHH” so loud all your heads would jerk to attention? Yeah, would love to be able to do that now, but on a much larger scale. Seriously, ENOUGH. I don’t often…
Those of you who have read my work for any period of time know the lengths my husband and I had to go through to be together here in the United States. Piles of paperwork; thousands of dollars; months of separation—all of it just to get legal residency status. If he wants citizenship, that’s another…
A Future Free 