kiss me. I looked up, and I ran!” Over the next three-plus decades, Melissa and Shawn spent their lives with others. Both married. Both divorced. But they stayed in touch. Then, in 2019, Melissa invited Shawn to be her date at a Christmas party. Almost a year later, they were married.

I have always envied those people who could pull off a week-long retreat between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day to reflect on life and make any course corrections for the upcoming year. Little did I know my first opportunity to be like them would come in a fifth-floor hospital room.

The superlatives roll off their tongues in rapid-fire bursts. Words like phenomenal, fantastic, beautiful and amazing are part of a panoply of adjectives the ladies behind Club 365 use to describe their "pivot" from the Shreveport Regional Arts Council’s biennial Christmas in the Sky event.

Don’t let uncomfortable shoes or worse, blisters, keep you from dancing the night away at your reception. Take the time to break in new shoes in the weeks leading up to the wedding. You might also consider bringing a backup pair of flats – just in case!.

“Laid off. Not working. No income coming in.” Those are the reasons Executive Director Al Moore hears when he visits with whom he refers to as “clients” – people who come as often as twice a day to get a hot meal. Every day except Christmas, Christian Service serves breakfast from 8-10 a.

We’ve all probably heard rumblings of meat shortages or noticed fluctuating prices on meat products. Instead of panicking about getting enough meat, this could be an excellent opportunity to embrace the change and try Meatless Mondays. It’s pretty straightforward: no chicken, fish, beef, pork, lamb, venison, etc.

How have families worked this temporary “normal” into their lives? And how do some unwind or find ways to enjoy quiet time when homes are bustling all day and being alone is rare? Several area moms have found their own ways to handle all of the new and old responsibilities and find time for self-care.