A few years back I lived just outside Florence, Italy in the Chianti region of Italy where the famous Chianti wines are made. One day I was walking along a trail next to a vineyard when I came upon an elderly farmer standing among his grape vines. Eager to practice my Italian, I said to the…

A few months ago I posted on Facebook a letter I received from a man serving life in prison for first degree murder. He expressed gratitude to me that my books had helped him through his darkest and most hopeless moments. Though I received more than a thousand “likes” and dozens of comments from Facebook fans…

Some years ago I read in the New York Times of a strange East-meets-West phenomenon. The Japanese had discovered Christmas and, no doubt aided by enterprising retailers, taken the season to heart. Aware that the holiday has something to do with an overfed man in a red suit and the birth of Jesus Christ, they, not…

Sitting on the bed next to my grandmother as she lay dying, I witnessed a curious thing. Earlier that day, hospice had put my grandmother on a morphine drip and ever since I had arrived she had seemed unaware of her surroundings and mumbling unintelligibly. Then suddenly she stopped mumbling and looked up to the corner…

“I’m the luckiest girl in the world,” my daughter Jenna once told me. She meant it. I don’t think it’s so much that Jenna has a great life–which she would be the first to tell you that she does–but the fact that she appreciates her life. It’s been said that people are not grateful because…

I had a somewhat traumatic childhood, but 1970, the year I turned eight, was especially difficult. A Tsunami of misfortune hit my family. My father lost his job and couldn't find work and my mother began to exhibit the first signs of severe depression. My Tourette’s syndrome manifested that year and I was ticking like crazy.…

  My Dear Child, I am so very proud of you. Now, as you prepare to embark on a new journey–your own journey–I’d like to share one piece of advice I wish I'd learned at your age: Always remember that adversity is not a detour, it’s the path. You will encounter obstacles. You will make mistakes.…

CLICK TO SEE NATHAN HELPING OUT Nathan Glad has the perfect last name. According to his parents he is always glad. Glad and grateful. He is also fragile. He was born with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, (brittle bone disease) which means his bones have the density of uncooked pasta. He was not supposed to survive childbirth and while…

The task of defining love is one that some of humanity’s greatest minds have wrestled with. Philosophers, theologians and psychologists have all contributed their definitions of the phenomenon. Personally, I found a pretty good definition of love in Italy. One Sunday, while my family was living in Florence, a young Italian woman who had befriended our…

"Avoid cliches," is one of the first things any writing class worth its pencils will teach. Clichés are not only a sign of unoriginality but lazy thinking in general–a truth that applies to speech as well as the printed word. And some clichés are worse than others. Here are two clichés that clearly illustrate the weak thinking of their…

Our trip to the Caribbean seemed to be cursed from the onset. I wanted to surprise my wife, Keri, with something she'd never done before and a friend recommended a Caribbean cruise.  So that December I gave her the 12 days of Christmas, each day with a new tile letter from a Scrabble game, spelling out…

This guest blog is from my daughter, and writing assistant, Jenna Evans Welch. (Yes, the same little Jenna from The Christmas Box, only grown up. Enjoy)   Yesterday I gave my old bike away. I wheeled it out of the garage and took a long look at its cushy black seat and banana handlebars. I…

True story. After spending a lovely week in Virginia at an author friend’s lake house (thriller writer David Baldacci), our family was on our way home to Salt Lake, flying out of Washington's Ronald Reagan airport. When we arrived at the gate we were informed that our flight had been delayed four hours. Delayed flights…

I’m the worst kind of grandparent–the kind who will show pictures of his grandson to complete strangers, including people in the Atlanta airport who don’t speak English and look terrified as they nod approvingly. I’m especially annoying because I know I’m annoying and I don’t stop. You see, my grandson is one of the most beautiful…

(Dedicated to my sweetheart.) My oldest daughter, Jenna, recently said to me, “My greatest fear as a child was that you and mom would get divorced. Then, when I was twelve, I decided that you fought so much that maybe it would be better if you did.” Then she added with a smile. “I’m glad…

A few years ago I was invited to be the keynote speaker at a writers conference in San Francisco. My wife, Keri, wanted to see the city so we turned the event into a quick vacation. At the top of my wife’s bucket list was to ride one of the famous San Francisco trolley cars.…