June 14, 2022 The Sea and the City As this past March came and went, I couldn’t believe we’d been in our home five years. In so many ways, it doesn’t seem possible—and lately I’ve found my mind wandering back to our “previous” life, the one with successful corporate careers and international vacations and no kids and “his and hers” video game consoles (yep, we were those people).
March 6, 2022 The Invitation: What I Learned on My Summer “Vacation” (Part 2) The July sun was low in the trees as I pounded through our woods, hopping over tree roots and weaving through the aspen, cedar, and pine groves. A slight breeze cut through the humidity as I slowed to a walk near one of the streams. Scout, our German shepherd mix, was panting next me while Meowser, our black and white cat, darted from a log between my feet.
January 30, 2022 What I Learned on My Summer “Vacation” (Part 1) During one of the last unseasonably warm autumn nights, Brian and I climbed over the deck railing onto our roof. We made our way to the top, stretching out with the peak as a pillow for our heads, legs lolling downward. Thin clouds wrapped around the edges of the sky like curtains pulling back, revealing the diamond-strewn swath of the Milky Way directly above us.
January 2, 2022 To the Sweet, to the Bitter, to the Future And every year as we near the change-over, we go around and each tell one sweet thing from the year, one bitter thing (one thing we’re glad to leave behind), and one thing we are looking forward to this next year.
April 8, 2021 The Mess of Easter This year, Easter was a bit of a wreck. The day went off-track before there was even a hint of daylight. And for a million reasons, it flailed and failed and ended in the flames of a heated argument between me and Brian.
February 24, 2021 Joy and Sorrow Henry’s soft babbling from the backseat filled our quiet car. Silent tears slid down my face as the frozen February landscape sped by. We were on the way home from appointments with his…
January 2, 2021 Planting in a Famine And when we humbly and willingly lay it all on the altar— planting in a famine what feels like our last seeds of faith—we don’t have to worry about tomorrow.
October 24, 2020 Intermission: The Day After Because when I wake up on November 4, this is what I know: Everything will have changed. And yet nothing will have changed.
September 24, 2020 Intermission: Transition Season September ushered in a new (and exciting!) season of changes for our family. But change is hard for our sons, both of whom have special needs. At four and two-and-a-half, their growing brains are already working overtime—and then you add in the mental chaos of all the “rules” and routines and sensory inputs around them shifting and changing. They sleep worse than normal, and we see an uptick in challenging behaviors and meltdowns and outbursts.
September 15, 2020 The Third Way The summer between my 7th and 8th grade year, my hometown area was devastated by a massive storm system that pounded us with hail, wind, tornadoes, and flooding. It spawned 18 tornadoes and caused massive flash flooding that turned roads into lakes and literally left cars floating down the highways. Straight-line winds exceeded hurricane force causing severe structural damage across the area. The destruction was so extensive that a Presidential Disaster Declaration was declared.
