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United Dreams.com Music and Inspirational Writing

Friday Tidings
Welcome to a weekly blog where stories, ideas, and thoughts for the journey are shared.
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Father's Homecoming
Late in my dad’s life, he shared the following homecoming story. He had been stationed at an Air Force base in Okinawa, Japan, and was...

Karen Farris
Jun 13, 20252 min read


You Got This
On one of my walks, I noticed a small sign that had blown to the side of the running trail. You Got This It was clearly meant to...

Karen Farris
Jun 6, 20251 min read


If Only
I arrived a bit early for my volunteer shift at my granddaughter’s school, so I took a few minutes to watch the senior class at the...

Karen Farris
May 30, 20252 min read


Silence in the Summer Heat
Summer at the Ranch Summertime once meant hot days on my grandparent’s ranch. Grandma’s lessons lingered long after those summers ended....

Karen Farris
May 23, 20252 min read


When Care is Your Calling
Mel: Some heroes where scrubs. Sometimes, we meet amazing individuals like Mel on the toughest days. He says his passion is bringing...

Karen Farris
May 16, 20251 min read


Amazing Avon
Avon and her daughter Karen in 2019 I had just turned twelve when I officially began my babysitting career with the Anderson family. I...

Karen Farris
May 9, 20252 min read


Faster Together: A Story of Respect and Rivalry
I didn’t know much about the sport of track and field until my son started competing in high school. I quickly realized it’s a sport that...

Karen Farris
May 2, 20251 min read


The Fascinating Fendall Yerxa
This week, while I was eating my sack lunch on a bench at the University of Washington, I found myself staring at one of the old...

Karen Farris
Apr 25, 20252 min read


The Final Door
I’d flown to Tucson, Arizona to be with my father. I imagined that I could just sit quietly by his hospital bed, but the nursing staff...

Karen Farris
Apr 18, 20252 min read


The Hitchhiker
I found this grainy photo of my mom, and on the back, in my grandmother’s cursive, it was labeled “The Hitchhiker”. It was the summer of...

Karen Farris
Apr 11, 20251 min read


Legendary Blossoms
Here’s a Friday flashback. Circa April 2011. My son, Tommy, was a junior at the University of Washington using his trademark energy and...

Karen Farris
Apr 4, 20251 min read


A Year from Now
On my weekly walk to see my granddaughter, I go past an interior design store that has this huge picture in its front window. I like to...

Karen Farris
Mar 28, 20251 min read


Chapter Ninety Five
When I married her son, Bernadean might have felt there were things about my life to concern her. She may have wondered if I was the best...

Karen Farris
Mar 21, 20251 min read


Love not Luck
I found the four-leaf clover in an unusual place. A small clover had been sealed between two small plastic discs and then encircled with...

Karen Farris
Mar 14, 20252 min read


Threads of Connection
It was one of those sunny, but too cold to be outside days, when I decided to use my great-grandmother’s sewing machine for the first...

Karen Farris
Mar 7, 20252 min read


The Needed Preventer
Recently a friend was chatting with me about life passing by without her leaving much of a mark on humanity. We both are at the age when...

Karen Farris
Feb 28, 20252 min read


Too Puzzled
Let me begin by confessing it was my idea to pull out the 500-piece puzzle. Even though I help my granddaughter with her much easier...

Karen Farris
Feb 21, 20252 min read


Secret Valentine
Long ago, Mom was our small town’s librarian, and I remember her telling me about an older man coming to the library almost every day...

Karen Farris
Feb 14, 20252 min read


Be There
I’ve heard that mothers of sons sometimes have a harder time letting them go. Perhaps, but if letting go means gaining a bonus daughter...

Karen Farris
Feb 7, 20251 min read


Bright Spots
Throughout the dark days of January, I looked for bright spots on my walks to and from the bus stop—they bring cheer this time of year....

Karen Farris
Jan 31, 20251 min read


Karen Farris
1 day ago2 min read


Karen Farris
Mar 131 min read
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