Author: Lori Clinch

  • Wandering through one conversation after another

    Wandering through one conversation after another

    By Lori Clinch Although my family worries about me, I think I have adapted quite nicely to my bad memory. Knowing full good and well what my capabilities are, I make lists and leave them in prominent places. I ask those around me, whose memories are still intact, to remind me of important events and…

  • It’s the most wonderful time of the year

    It’s the most wonderful time of the year

    By Lori Clinch It’s not a tangible thing, but you can feel it. It’s almost as if it rises from the east with great brilliance and beauty, bringing with it excitement, tension and a plethora of goose bumps. Birds sing, children laugh and sometimes grown men cry at the prospect. It’s what we have been…

  • Little Charlie? He’s the big guy in the yellow shirt

    Little Charlie? He’s the big guy in the yellow shirt

    By Lori Clinch For a good, solid year now, I have felt people staring at me, wondering how on earth I was ever going to let our youngest son go off to college. I would be lying to you if I told you that I wasn’t a bit worried about that matter myself. I wondered…

  • When a brother’s love goes haywire

    When a brother’s love goes haywire

    By Lori Clinch There are several different kinds of sports fans. There are the meek and the mild who keep to themselves. Then there are zealous rooters who whistle and applaud and never hesitate to start a heartfelt crowd wave. Best yet are the crowd-pleasers who show up with team colors smeared on their bodies.…

  • Taken for a ride by little con artists

    Taken for a ride by little con artists

    By Lori Clinch I absolutely adore kids. The fact that we decided to have four children might be concrete proof of that, but I also love chubby little babies and have been known to take them from their mother’s arms and hug them like a politician working the crowd on the campaign trail. Yet, if…

  • For youngest son, back to school carries an air of excitement

    For youngest son, back to school carries an air of excitement

    I went into the local supercenter last week and was overwhelmed with the onslaught of school supplies. The aisles were lined with reams of paper, the end caps were stocked with Elmer’s glue, and a large sign hung from the ceiling that boasted of three-tab folders at unbelievable prices. Back in the day, the first…

  • When the urge to clean strikes, it strikes hard

    When the urge to clean strikes, it strikes hard

    I have been known to have a clean house. There was that time last November when I got on a roll. Then there was the cleaning frenzy that hit me in the post-tax season, and once last month, as the promise of visiting relatives loomed large on the horizon, I polished until the entire place…

  • And, spare us the elevator music

    And, spare us the elevator music

    By Lori Clinch Today’s technological world is moving along at an incredible pace. Televisions are crystal clear and cell phones have replaced cameras, flashlights and record players. Meanwhile, our vehicles are all but driving themselves. Yet, what hasn’t changed much in recent years is being put on hold whenever folks call a business with an…

  • Public speaking? No grade is high enough for that assignment

    Public speaking? No grade is high enough for that assignment

    By Lori Clinch There are many ways to prepare oneself for public speaking. Some folks like to do relaxation techniques, focus their mental energy and then center themselves before appearing before their audience. I, for one, like to begin any public speaking situation by simply passing out. I normally do this within five minutes of…