My eldest daughter left for college this morning. It's her first year...and mine too. I’m happy for her, yet sad to see her go. The tears welled up in my eyes as I stared at the blank walls of her room, now empty except for the faded outlines of where posters of her favorite bands once hung. I closed the door behind me wondering if this was the end. Will she ever spend another night under the same roof? How hard it is to let go…but necessary.



My thoughts are with each parent whose… Continue

Pay it forward. At least that’s what I’ve been taught. Never ask for anything personal in return for a gift given…it is just that, kindness with no expectation or desire for reward. Conversely, a gift or act of kindness received should be paid forward tenfold, not necessarily to the giver, but to another in a time of need.



We’ve all been there. The kindness of a stranger who retrieves a dropped glove, the person that holds a door open when your arms are full, the cashier that gives… Continue

It’s Friday…who’s up for the happy dance? My day starting off on the right foot around 3 AM. Bounced out of the rack for whatever reason despite the early hour, ready to take on the world and it just keeps getting better.



Business casual at work which means comfortable jeans. I usually reach for a pair of generously cut jeans to accommodate the extra weight I put on over the last year. This morning, I mistakenly grabbed a pair from a time when I was in better shape. As Gomer Pyle… Continue

“It looks good…you have a nice round head.” A nice round head? What the heck is that suppose to mean? My mind immediately equates my appearance to that of Charlie Brown, the round headed bald kid from the comic strip. Sigh…tell me I look handsome, tell me that the style suits me, tell me that I could be a male model…OK, the last one is a stretch but please, please don’t compare me with some inept, always depressed, bald headed kid with low self esteem.



My own acceptance of the… Continue

It’s quiet around here lately, at least when speaking of alopecia. I’ve adapted to the hair loss and a shaved head. The occasional reaction from the stragglers upon seeing my new form for the first time has become passé and little more than a brief annoyance at best. Shaving was one of the smarter things I have done as the day to day hair issues become out of sight, out of mind.



I have learned much during this journey of a only few months… to be accepting of others…and of myself.… Continue