This is where I’ve gathered my stories—the ones that made me laugh, the ones that made me cry, and the ones that left me scratching my head.
Some are simple. Some are hard. All of them are mine.
Stories matter because they happened. They teach us about ourselves. They give shape to lived experiences and help us see more clearly backward than we could when we were looking forward.
Mom, Sally C to her friends, was a master quilter. Fabric, thread, needles, and quilting frames were the tools of her craft. She made quilts of every size, color, and shape. Some were rustic, tied quilts. Others were intricately stitched masterpieces. What Rembrandt did with brush and paint, Mom did with fabric, scissors, and thread. […]
As Christmas comes into my heart, I see challenges to “keep Christ in Christmas” by refraining from saying Happy Holidays and Merry Christmas. Although well-meaning, these challenges create division, not unity. It’s like thumping one key on a piano without considering the other 87. There is no melody, and there can be no harmony. Happy […]
I talked to eight-year-old Wyatt about Jupiter and Saturn aligning on December 21, 2020, to make a huge, beautiful Christmas star. Wyatt: “Wow! That’s so cool.” Me: “Yeah, it only happens once every 800 years.” Wyatt: “Have you ever seen it?!” Me: “I have no words.” #storieswithcharlene #christmas #writeyourstories #kidsarefunny
I am grateful for Charles and Caren Lee Paul. They accepted me into their family as a 29-year-old widow with two little boys who was going to marry their 21-year-old returned missionary son. My father-in-law was in the bishopric when my first husband was killed in a car accident a couple of years before. He […]
Two years ago today, my youngest daughter’s world was flipped upside down when her husband unexpectedly passed away from an undiagnosed heart problem. She, one of her brothers, and his wife had just returned from a day of Black Friday shopping. On their way home, they witnessed an accident on the highway and spent hours […]