By WENDY HODGE 1985 was a good year. Nintendo released its home entertainment system; we all were singing along with Phil Collins because he was beyond “rad”; and velour tracksuits and big hair were the coolest things in fashion. Don’t ask me why. That was also the...

By WENDY HODGE Everybody loves Mr. Rogers. If I’m honest, I love him more now as an adult than I did as a child. I preferred the higher-volumed shows like Zoom! and Electric Company! Mr. Rogers’ low tones and slow mannerisms made me drowsy. Let’s face it, a couple of...

By WENDY HODGE My dad used a term as far back as I can remember ... "passive soldier.” The way he said it sounded like a curse word to my young ears. “There’s nothing worse than a passive soldier,” he would say. “When something important is at stake, the last thing...

By WENDY HODGE Author’s Note: I wrote the following article four years ago. My life has changed a lot since then – I’ve had more birthdays, I have a new job and I finally crossed paths with the man who will have my heart for the rest of my life. Things are good....