Opinion

A few months ago a woman in my Cancer Lifeline writing class described crying at an oncology appointment. The nurse tried to comfort her but my friend said, “You don’t understand. This is good. Yesterday I couldn’t get enough breath to cry.”…MORE

A hapless half a whale was towed away from Seahurst Park beach up near us today. I never heard it but the crows and gulls who rob our sparrow feeder went AWOL and that is good.

I never heard any noise or saw any super tugboat as I was…MORE

(Editors note:) I got this email from son Mike, letting me know how he felt about the tragedy in Boston. I asked if it was OK to share it . I said it might help someone else who feels the same way. -Jerry Robinson

By Mike Robinson

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By Peggy Sturdivant

My daughter seconded an earlier comment that our cold house was “one step above camping.” But the upside of living in such a drafty house is that there was so much room for improvement when we committed to Seattle’s…MORE

By Kyra-lin Hom

Some morning last week, I was driving peaceably along I-5 S when it felt like the bottom dropped out of my car. My smooth, new-tires-for-the-first-time-in-my-life commute suddenly turned into a jarring, jerky ride over…MORE

Was it only yesterday that we had a “Ships Log” and a Des Moines Chamber of Commerce and was it such fun to do a monthly article entitled “Business of the Month”?

Did there prevail a feeling of joy at heralding the merits of a new or…MORE

This week I celebrated my dear departed brother Russell's birthday. I will grieve alone. His wife lives in California. I will send a message to her. Russ would have been 95.

He used to pound me a bit but never anything fatal. I was two…MORE

If you are a city of Des Moines community resident and feel like you’re missing something –- guess what-- you will be and pronto!

It’s a sad day when the Des Moines community loses it’s one and only downtown grocery store that so many…MORE

By Corbin Lewars

I recently had the opportunity to host a woman and her two sons for a week and a half. They were in Seattle under difficult circumstances, the death of her mother, who happened to be a writer. During one late night…MORE

By Peggy Sturdivant

If I had to choose two hours per week that provide me with richest range of experience, from belly laughs to sheer delight in words, the venue might seem unlikely: Cancer Lifeline. Occasionally someone winces when I…MORE