How to Put the Fun Back into Friendships
You could call it spring fever, or just a perfect season to climb on a horse and head for the Western Wisconsin hills. My friend Nettie and I recently enjoyed a springtime jaunt on our […]
Author: Mary Farr
Mary Farr, a retired pediatric hospital chaplain and inspirational speaker has published five books including the critically acclaimed If I Could Mend Your Heart, and her newest release, The Promise in Plan B, HOPress-ShorehouseBooks.com. Mary’s capacity to infuse audiences with joy and laughter inspires kindness, concern for one another, and a deep understanding of happiness.
A graduate of the University of Wisconsin with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English, Mary completed her divinity studies in the Episcopal Diocese of Eau Claire where she was ordained to the permanent diaconate in 1983. She received a Master of Arts degree in Theology from St. Catherine University in her hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota.
Irish Pooka Fairy Strikes Again
Last night my daughter and I were walking to our car after a St. Paddy’s Day cooking demonstration. A scrumptious dinner of corned beef, colcannon, and chocolate orange Guinness cake topped off the evening of […]
Choosing a Path to Heartfelt Success
Success appears in countless shapes and forms. Achievements, acquisitions, accolades, awards—and those tap only the letter A. Yet when we consider success as it relates to building a new life plan, it’s more rewarding to […]
Time for a Politically Incorrect SWOT Analysis
One glance at a recent New York Times article—G.O.P Race Grows Cruder and More Aggressive—set me to thinking. I wonder how much cruder and more aggressive things need to get before the wheels fall off […]
A Salute to Homegrown Humor
I might have been ten years old when my father, an upstanding circuit court judge, handed me a gift wrapped copy of Damon Runyon’s Guys and Dolls. He had read these stories to me for […]
A Cautionary Valentine Tale
I’m feeling conflicted about Valentine’s Day. This could be due to its dark history—the feast of Lupercalia, when those goofy Romans sacrificed goats and dogs and then flogged women with the hides. Or, maybe my […]
“Yes,” My Favorite New Word
Recently I noticed the ease with which I’ve been saying, “No.” “No, I can’t go to a movie because it’s January, it’s cold and dark, and for Pete’s sake, this is Minnesota. No, I’d rather […]
Holiday Reminiscing Gets Real
My brother and I have been reminiscing about past Christmas celebrations. Naturally we recalled the lovely ones first – such as our glittering, nighttime, sleigh rides behind George Tollefson’s team of Belgian mares. I can […]
Life After November
The poet Robert Frost often wrote of the earth’s seasons. In his poem “November,” he described the subtle beauty of late fall. The poem also captures the mood of a quiet interlude before winter, a reflective time […]
When Your “Plan” A Bombs
Well, we made it through Book Launch Day, a day when my equine muse Noah Vail sent me a text saying he needed a cold compress for his head. Apparently his new role as my official publicist for […]