The Eastern New Mexico News - Serving Clovis, Portales and the Surrounding Communities

In the wee hours, 2021 quietly landed, full of promise and new adventures. Watching the ball drop while dogs and husband slept (snored), I let go of the old while embracing the new, thankful for...

Recently, I saw an illustration from Peaceful Mind Peaceful Life. Initially drawn in by the beautifully illustrated birds, it was the accompanying statement that produced one of those “aha...

Snoring. All around me, snores are punctuated by little yips and growls. When I try to move my right arm so that I can type a little easier, I’m met with grunts and a giant paw for my trouble. I’v...

One of my favorite events on the church calendar happened this past weekend, World Communion Sunday. This celebration crosses denominations as people put aside their differences to share in a communal...

My dad’s birthday slipped by quietly this week. He would have been 83. I spent the day before his birthday doing the same thing I’ve done for decades. I baked him a cake. There’s a family spice...

Gavin the Wonder Kid has joined the world of kid messenger. I didn’t know such a thing existed until a neon green oozy background popped up on my phone, and The Dad’s mini me filled the screen....

Last week, the community came together to help a family locate their elderly relative, Bob Casey, who had gone missing. Sadly, Casey was found several days later, deceased. The grief from his family...

I’ve been thinking a lot about Charlie Broz lately. The most recent occurrence involved a kitchen incident and a chunk of salmon that may or may not have caught fire. As I was trying to extinguish...

People wear masks when they mow the lawn, work on home projects, refinish furniture, when they paint. All in the name of safety. So, what’s the big deal about wearing a mask now? We have a...

The church has left the building. Simple yet profound. But church isn’t about the building. Don’t get me wrong — I love my church, Westminster Presbyterian in Clovis. It’s a beautiful...

These are the moments that define us. We’re all doing the best we can navigating our way through this new normal of “shelter-at-home.” It’s an uncertain time, and that can be pretty nerve... Full story

I love lists. I especially love lists when accompanied by color-coded sticky notes. Sometimes, however, even the best-laid plans complete with lists and sticky notes can fall apart. That point was...

I never really agreed with the whole “marriage is 50-50” thing. Thinking about it, I probably thought it meant that a marriage is an equal partnership, hence the 50-50. But something just...

Hello, 2020. You snuck up on me. I knew you were on the way; but I still haven’t decorated for Christmas yet, and here you are, nipping at my heels. I haven’t processed 2019, and here I sit on...

I have about a million wishes for this holiday season. Big ones and small ones. As I watch Christmas movies filled with sugar plum fairies and dancing snowflakes, I wish I didn’t fail out of ballet...

I’m glad I grew up in a time before social media. A lot of my “stupid people tricks” happened outside the scope of cell phones or easy-access cameras. While these stunts may be remembered by...

Dictionary.com defines a ‘dork’ as: a silly, out-of-touch person who tends to look odd or behave ridiculously around others; a social misfit. If we’re truthful, we’ve all probably fallen into...

Some things just don’t make sense. Oysters, for example. I can’t imagine who might have cracked open one of those “delicacies” and thought eating it was a good idea. I suppose we could say...

Recently, I had the distinct privilege to officiate the celebration of life service for Richard Allen Trask, who was 99 and some when he died. As I listened to the stories shared by his son and daught...

It was a bad pain day. My usual “peopley” self was amped down a couple of notches. We had parked close to the front of a grocery store, and I made my way from the jeep to the door, wincing with...

“Family is everything.” Simple. Profound. Recently, I attended the celebration of life service for a man I didn’t know. Like many others, I felt as if I did “know” him because of his presenc...

There is a lot of ugliness in the world right now. It would be easy to blame social media, the times we live in, political unrest, and a host of other things. And as these things go, people have laid...

Sometimes, we get weary. We all have those people that we can turn to (or run to depending on the situation) when the day-to-day grind overwhelms us. But, what do we do when one of those voices is...

The Dad came up in conversation this past week, again. Since he daily dances through my mind, it isn’t a big leap to find him in a conversation. This time, it wasn’t because of a funny Dad story;...

I had a serious flashback a few days ago. I’m not sure how Facebook “knows” things, but Bob Dylan’s song, “The Times They Are a Changin’,” (1964) popped up on my timeline. Maybe it’s...