Friends are "annuals" that need seasonal nurturing to bear blossoms. Family is a "perennial" that comes up year after year, enduring the droughts of absence and neglect. There's a place in the garden for both of them.

Myths that need clarification: "No matter how many times you see the Grand canyon, you are still emotionally moved to tears." False. It depends on how many children the out-of-towners brought with them who kicked the back of your seat from Phoenix to Flagstaff and got their gum caught in your hair.

When you're lecturing teenagers and they begin to hum and leave the room, you can sense there is hostility.

He who laughs.....lasts.

Marriage has no guarantees. If that's what you're looking for, go live with a car battery.

Youngsters of the age of two and three are endowed with extraordinary strength. They can lift a dog twice their own weight and dump him into the bathtub.

I'm going to stop punishing my children by saying, “Never mind! I'll do it myself.