Robin Garrison Leach

Commentary: The mower is already gassed up and ready to roll. The beast purrs to life with the turn of a trusty key. John slowly resets the choke, and he's off.

Commentary: I want the pills they give those people on TV. You know the ones. They hop onto the screen accompanied by catchy, energy-fueled ditties.

From the first singsong prayers of childhood to the fervent pleas of hurting hearts, I learned how to talk to God from examples all around me.

Commentary: Every inch of dirt holds a surprise; a thumb of peony pokes through dead leaves. Knives of irises dissect the ground.

She was there with you, surrounding you, while you grew arms and legs and eyelids. Your heart beat in harmony with hers. Her blood was your blood; her oxygen, yours. She kept you safe and protected before she even knew what your face looked like or how your voice would sound when you giggled.

Senior high school students have been doing it for decades. At the end of their final year, the class concocts a few elaborate, annoying, sometimes funny ways to mark their exit.

Robin Writes: a weekly column looking at life.

Commentary: This simple act of kindness has stayed with me all these years, growing sweeter and purer as I grew to appreciate its impact.

Robin Writes: a weekly column looking at life.

Commentary: There are occasions when a bathroom visitor finds herself without reading material. In this case, any printed surface in the room is fair game.