Every spring I innocently recite a little ditty upon the first sign of winter’s departure: Spring is sprung, the grass is ris. I wonders where the birdies is. They say the birds is on the wing. Ain’t that absurd? I always thought the wing was on the bird.* I say innocently, because it is always wishful thinking. I live in Minnesota, after all, and the third week in March is still winter in the frozen tundra. Author Henry Van Dyke clearly knew what I was talking about when he said, “The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another. The difference between them is […]
Read more...Tag Archives: Amy Hagberg
Ch-ch-changes…
After looking at my freshly minted, totally redesigned website you might be thinking: What’s up with this new look? Why did you change everything? Well, I’m going to tell you. A website is a little like a hairstyle; it must evolve over time or risk being out of it, uncool, passe, even dweebish (good luck with that one, spell check). My old site was absolutely gorgeous, thanks to webmaster extraordinaire, Sandy Juettner, but it was a little too…yesterday. It was like having a bi-level haircut when the other girls sported an inverted bob. The biggest reason for the re-do, however, is that I longed to rebrand myself. I wanted my visitors, friends, potential […]
Read more...A Letter to My Daughter
On the one hand, we’ll never experience childbirth. On the other hand, we can open all our own jars. ~ Bruce Willis Twenty-five years ago today, a stubborn little person fought her way out of my womb as I lay whimpering in a hospital delivery room. After more than 20 hours of back-breaking, toe-curling labor, my brilliant (I use this term loosely) medical team tore themselves away from the World Series and decided perhaps the monitors suggesting you (who had been in distress for the umpteenth time) might need to come out of me ASAP. Well, DUH! There was no way this beast of a baby was coming out […]
Read more...The Sloth of the Sea
Yesterday’s daily trivia question was in the “animals” category: QUESTION: What is the slowest-moving fish? ANSWER: Why, the seahorse, or course! These equine little characters have always been among my favorite creatures. After doing a little research on them, I love them even more! Factoids: There are approximately thirty-five different species of sea horses. They are monogamous and mate for life. They range in size from 0.6 to 14 inches. Males bear the young (I wish we could say that). The female deposits her eggs in the brood pouch of the male. He then fertilizes them internally and carries them until they are ready to hatch. Although sea […]
Read more...Slandering God
Why do the powers that be in Hollywood think it is acceptable to use God’s name as a curse in so many films? “GD” this and “JC” that. Sadly, I believe the fault lies with consumers. We may be disgusted with onscreen sex and violence and offended by the language, but we still look the other way flock to theaters. The Trivia Question of the Day I posted on my social media sites today read as follows: WHAT IS THE THIRD COMMANDMENT? It was actually a random question chosen in the wee hours of the morning, but it really got me thinking. “Thou shalt not take the name of the […]
Read more...GRAMMAR GEM: Preposition Placement
Most of us were told in school never to end a sentence in a preposition. If that’s true, why do so many people do it? When I hear somebody end a sentence with “at” it is like I’ve just heard fingernails screech down a chalkboard. “Where are we having dinner at?” ACK! In this case, “at” is a completely wasted word; it would be much more correct to say, “Where are we having dinner?” Lose the “at” … please :)
Read more...Aging is no Laughing Matter… Or IS It?
I turned 52 yesterday…yikes. I used to think people in their 50s were lame and already had one foot in the grave. Well, now I’m there and it happened in the blink of an eye. Fortunately, I’m nowhere near a cemetery (she says crossing her fingers) and I’m still pretty cool – in a middle age kind of way, that is. Admittedly, I don’t let my bra straps show, I don’t have any tattoos or piercings on my face, I prefer Aerosmith to Nicki Minaj, and my goblet holds a dry Chardonnay instead of Boone’s Farm Strawberry Hill, but I do have my contemporary moments. My kids tell me I’m […]
Read more...MAN DOES THE UNTHINKABLE TO STOP HIS DRUG ADDICTION
After more than twenty-three years addicted to methamphetamine and other drugs, David Parnell put an SKS assault rifle under his chin and pulled the trigger. The blast took off half his face, yet somehow he survived. Following an afterlife experience where he briefly experienced both hell and heaven, David woke up in the hospital. He was changed forever, both physically and emotionally. In 2010, David Parnell and I wrote his memoir, FACING THE DRAGON: How a Desperate Act Pulled One Addict Out of Methamphetamine Hell, about his horrific drug addiction and dual suicide attempts. In Facing the Dragon, you will witness the slow, agonizing metamorphosis of a good-looking high-school athlete into […]
Read more...WACKY WORD OF THE DAY JANUARY CONTEST WINNERS!
Hey all you Wacky Word lovers! I have just conducted the official WACKY WORD OF THE DAY random drawing for the month of January. If you’ll recall, anyone who used the daily word in a sentence and posted it on one of my social media sites (Facebook, Linkedin, Google+, or Twitter, or here in my blog, is entered in the drawing. The more times you enter, the better your chances! The winner can choose any one of my books, for FREE! Thank you all so much for participating… we had an amazing 54 entries, even though the contest didn’t start until the middle of the month! So, instead of giving […]
Read more...SILENCE IS GOLDEN
For an overachieving, working mother with a “Type A” personality and a tendency toward anxiety, the concept of being still is rather foreign … and a little frightening. Like so many Christians, I can be silent and listen to God for oh, about 15 seconds, before the noise of my over-stimulated mind breaks in. So imagine putting me in a place for 36 hours where true silence and isolation are observed? Then consider that this bona fide city girl would have no electricity or indoor plumbing and you’ll get an idea of how daunting the whole concept was for me. But that’s exactly where God led me. Finding myself at […]
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