“If I promise not to cause a ruckus, may I join you?” Sometimes solitary travel makes for a productive supper, but sometimes it opens doors. I saw an elderly couple watching the dining room comings and goings with interest. A beautiful plaid wheelchair was carefully tucked at their table. Her hands moved slowly, deliberately. But her eyes danced. He leaned in, listening with great care. And the tug on my...

The warm acoustics of Nashville’s beloved Ryman still resonated with my heartstrings as I strolled down the late night scene of Broadway. Funny how my country roots and the urban pulse seemed to meld into something energizing. Strains of every genre mingled on the sidewalk, mixing a new kind of music on the dark air. Passing doors and windows, one song would grow heavy above the others and then give way...

December rain streaked the night sky reflecting the city lights. It may have been a dreary winter night in the streets, but we were expectant and joyful, celebrating the arrival of the Christmas season. I drew my wrap tighter and braced for stormy gusts. Slipping from the shelter of the parking garage, I bowed my head from the rain. Immediately, a man rushed my direction. I scurried to dodge out of his...

Familiar. Routine. Preventative. All labels of comfort crashed to cold tiles of an exam room floor. “Raise your arm. We need to check your lymph nodes.” The words seared from my ears, through my brain, to my heart. Tears welled like a tapped spring spilling. “It’s just a precaution. Don’t worry.” Precaution became a centrifuge swirling the unfamiliar until I was dizzy and the world was jarringly distorted—biopsy, schedule, hospital, surgeon....

Words. Letters strung together in tiny groups, shaping clusters. And then what? The miraculous. Like heart cells, words connect and find purpose, and suddenly life beats. Where there was nothing, there is life. Like so many other people around the world choosing words in languages and dialects as varied as our homes, I choose a word and a verse each new year. They serve like a blaze on the trail....