The thing NOT to tell a first time dog lover

I certainly didn’t want to be the one to tell him.      When a friend came home with his adorable gray fur ball of fun seven years ago, I did all the things a fellow dog lover does to welcome a new pet lover into our tribe.      Well, almost all the things.      Deliver a basket full of puppy toys: check.      Coo, snuggle, and make a big deal over that pink puppy belly: check.      Offer up my

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Because Women Without Children Are Magnificent, Too

How did women without children get left out of the celebration? With all due respect to us mothers, I’m not sure how we ended up with this day to celebrate only women who have children. Women are creators and nurturers. This expresses itself in different ways. To my fellow mothers, you have a whole card aisle and the world to tell you how magnificent you are. To you, my fellow women who do not have children, I know some of

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The Treasure My Ex-Boyfriend Left Behind

She wasn’t the gift I was expecting. Not from my boyfriend. A very long ago boyfriend, I should clarify. This is a story about where we get our people. About how ugly can sometimes, Sometimes, Leave behind a treasure. There was so much wrong with this particular relationship. Red flags from the beginning. And yet, I stayed. Stayed for years. I, the columnist who writes about a healthy marriage, raising kids, normalish stuff, I’m so disappointed when I look at

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How Candles In A Church I Don’t Belong To Help Me Find My Way Home

Italy. The answer is Italy. If you caught last week’s column, Dear Reader, you left me stuck on a mountain top in Oman with a husband who was using frequent flyer miles prowess to get us home. “How about Milan?” he piped up as he worked his booking voodoo. He found a beautiful hotel and two first class seats through Dubai into Milan. For pennies, as he’s apt to do. “We can tour the city. We can go to Lake

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What If You Have All The Tools You Need To Get Through Tough Times?

That was the easiest birthday gift ever. For the woman who has, Well, a lot. And, And, at the same time, Not the life she planned. She planned on spending the rest of her life with her college sweetheart. The one she’d been married to for 30 years. She planned on setting off on a new adventure with him. Empty nest style, as their youngest headed off to college. He planned on getting to know the company secretary. “Finding himself”

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The Gift Of Watching My Friend’s Impossible Dream Come True

I stood in the back of a bookstore this week and cried. “Something got in my eye,” I would’ve said if anyone asked. I grabbed one of the paper napkins from the table with a plate of cookies to wipe a nose drip away. Classy, I know. I don’t know why I bothered. I love those tears. What prompted them. Besides, no one was looking at me. All eyes focused on her. About 15 feet away stood a friend. A

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Kind Stranger Takes Lonely Widower On Dream Vacay After Ad For New Fishing Buddy

You don’t have to go fishing far to find a story that will melt your heart like this one. It starts with Ray Johnstone, a lonely widower in Australia who placed an ad for a new fishing buddy when his old friend passed away. Sky News reports that 22-year-old Mati Batsinilas saw that ad and his heart immediately felt for Mr. Johnstone. Fishing? He wanted a buddy to go fish with? Mati decided to up that idea to the next

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The Treasures I Never Expected To Inherit From My Mother

They are not mentioned in my mother’s will. And yet, It is so clear she left them to me. True treasures. So grand, I never planned on an inheritance so rich. Probably you should wait, Before you start fantasizing about how I will spend the millions of dollars, Move into incredible homes, Drip myself in sparkling jewels. Let me clarify. My mother passed away last month leaving very few material things. It wasn’t the life she planned. It’s the life

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Beautiful Story Behind College Football Star And Boy With Autism Bonding Over Lunch

A college football star and a boy with autism bonding over lunch. It’s now the photo that has melted hearts around the world. It happened last month when Florida State football players paid a visit to Monford Middle School in Talahassee, Florida. Star wide receiver Travis Rudolph spied one kid, Bo Paske, eating lunch by himself. Travis says he thought nothing of making an offer of kindness. He simply went over to Bo to ask if he could eat lunch with

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Stolen Gold Medal Leads To Unlikely Friendship

The Olympic gold medal Joe Jacobi won at the Barcelona Olympics in kayaking has brought him a lot of joy since 1992. No wonder he was devastated when it was stolen from his car a few weeks ago. Little did Joe realize, that incident, that loss was about to bring him a wonderful gift and a friendship he never expected. Six-year-old Chloe Smith thinks the story is pretty special, too. Another fine story of friendship from CBS News’ Steve Hartman.

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