This year, because of scheduling, our neighborhood “white elephant” party was held in November.  The rules of the game are actually quite hysterical.  According to the number that you pick prior to the game, you have an opportunity to either open a wrapped gift or “steal” a gift from someone else who already has a gift. …

A friend of mine told me once of an experience she had in Paris.  She was walking through the Paris Metro, and saw a woman on the ground. My friend immediately rushed toward the woman and reached out her hand to see if the woman was hurt and needed help to get up off the ground. …

Have you ever had the experience of meeting or even just being around someone who you just sense to be an authentic person?  It’s almost like an intuition that you have, or perhaps a deep sense of immediate trust or appreciation that you would find hard to describe. …

How often have you greeted a stranger, and received the muted response of either a blank stare or a diverted glance?  In traffic, have you ever let someone in front of you and they don’t even acknowledge it?  That can be fairly off-putting to say the least.  …

I cherish the memories of the many weekends over the years of my childhood that my family spent in Grand Isle.  Before me and my brother and sister were old enough to surf-fish, we would play on the beach and in the shallower water near the shore of the Gulf, while our parents waded out into the sometimes waist-high water to cast their lines into the incoming surf with the hope of hooking something. …