A study of the well-being of healthcare workers in the United States found that those who regularly attend worship services are at a lower risk of deaths related to alcohol, drugs, or suicide, collectively known as “deaths from despair.”

Researchers with the T. H. Chan School of Public Health at Harvard University had a study published last week in the journal JAMA Psychiatry titled “Religious Service Attendance and Deaths Related to Drugs, Alcohol, and Suicide Among US Health Care Professionals.”

The research drew from a sample of 66,492 female registered nurses via the Nurses’ Health Study II of 2001-2017 and 43,141 male healthcare professionals drawn from the Health Professionals Follow-up Study from 1988-2014.

According to the researchers, women who attended religious services at least once per week had a 68% lower hazard of death from despair compared to peers who did not, while men who attended worship at least once a week had a 33% lower hazard compared to men who never attended.

“… this study suggests that religious service attendance was associated with lower risk of deaths from despair among both men and women, accounting for a wide range of potential confounders (including other aspects of social integration),” stated the Discussion section of the study.

“Findings of this study were congruent with previous evidence suggesting that religious…

I flew.

Those are two words I haven’t said for at least 11 weeks, as trip after trip was canceled or indefinitely postponed due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Finally, I had the opportunity to travel again.

With the long Memorial Day weekend and the unofficial start to summer upon us I wanted to get away. Anywhere. Just somewhere since pools were closed at home.

So, I started looking at which states were fully open. It soon became apparent that if I wanted the best weather, pools and open restaurants it was Arizona. But first I had to get there, which meant going to an airport.

After a monotonous Uber ride to Denver International Airport I made my way through a mostly empty concourse to the check-in desks for Delta Air Lines, which save for one employee were completely deserted. Using the priority line for passengers with frequent flyer elite status was pointless.

The airport looked empty, but it was probably busier than most people expected. In fact, new data from the Transportation Security Administration reveals that more passengers are flying now than at any point since travel collapsed in March. This might explain my 5-minute wait at the single open TSA checkpoint. Clear and Precheck — two of the fast-track options normally available…

Summer travel is here.

Yes, your vacation or annual family getaway is going to look and feel different this year, thanks to lasting effects of the coronavirus pandemic. One of the biggest changes will be flying, which I covered in last week’s column.

With an increasing number of destinations and things to do and see open or about to reopen, here are three places you can go in June.

Cody, Wyoming

Wyoming has been open for a few weeks now after ending a mandatory quarantine for visitors from out-of-state.

One of the best places to visit is Cody, which is a popular gateway to Yellowstone National Park. Traffic has picked up, especially since access to the spectacular park through bordering Montana has been restricted.

While Yellowstone is the big draw, all things Old West can be discovered at the Buffalo Bill Museum.

The museum, which is named after Old West legend and showman William Cody, punches well above its weight. The exhibits and wide-ranging collection are very informative for anyone. Somewhat bizarrely, four other museums are housed in other wings of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West.

Consider staying at either the upscale Chamberlin Inn or the family-friendly Holiday Inn at Buffalo Bill Village.

Mackinac Island, Michigan

Mackinac Island is truly a special place.

Known for its horses — no…

When many readers think of old churches and cathedrals they think of Europe.

The architectural masterpieces in northern Europe are generally Romanesque or Gothic in style as opposed to the more common classical or baroque edifices of southern Europe.

In many destinations, historic churches are among the most visited attractions. Think Westminster Abbey in London or Trier Cathedral, Germany’s oldest church.

But coronavirus forced churches and cathedrals to close their doors, both to public worship and tourists.

Months later, countries across Europe are slowly reopening. This includes churches, museums and other cultural attractions.

However, Britain and France — arguably the two most popular summer destinations for American tourists — remain effectively closed, thanks to mandatory quarantine policies.

France lifted restrictions on local travel, though foreigners are still subject to quarantine through July 24, according to CNN. It’s a similar situation across the English Channel in Britain, where the government only now imposed a quarantine.

As a result, it is all but impossible to visit some of the finest churches in all of Christendom this summer, unless you plan a trip for August or September. By then, things may be fully open.

Here is a guide to some of the places you can’t visit right now, but should visit as soon as the situation changes.

The author of the bestselling book Girl, Wash Your Face announced that she and her husband are divorcing.

In an Instagram post on Monday, Rachel Hollis said that she had no idea how to disclose the difficult news, but that she and her husband have decided to end their marriage.

“We started out as best friends 18 years ago and the truth is, that core friendship and the parts of us that work so well, have become a band-aid for the parts of us that don’t. We have worked endlessly over the last three years to make this work and have come to the conclusion that it is healthier and more respectful for us to choose this as the end of our journey as a married couple,” Hollis, daughter of a Pentecostal preacher, said.

“We remain dear friends as we raise our family as co-parents and run our company as partners. We are choosing joy — even though, I’ll be honest, the last month has been one of the most awful of our lives. I want to be strong and bold and optimistic for you now, but every ounce of my energy is reserved in being those things for my children.”

She continued: “That said, having been such an open book to this beloved community, we hope that you can allow us a human moment. We hope you can understand our need to process these changes away from social media. We graciously ask that you respect our privacy so we can focus on what matters most, our four kids and the next chapter of what our…