The world seems anything but peaceful right now. Even as the holiday season unfolds, rife with symbols of peace, our spirits are burdened. News of war, terrorism, and unrest can’t be ignored. Fear is fueling debates, dividing hearts, and troubling […]
Did you stop writing? I have been asked this question countless times over the past several months. Aside from the surprise that anyone noticed, I silently cringe at these inquiries. Because I have no real answer. Yes? No? Maybe just […]
It’s hard to live in Minnesota in March. Already weary from the long winter, it feels so unfair to wake up to forecasts of snow, cold and rain while the rest of the country is walking on sunshine. We are […]
This morning, I read a private journal entry from one year ago. In it, I was processing (ok, venting) about a source of pain and frustration in my life. It is almost verbatim what I wrote over the weekend about […]
The moment a child is placed in your arms, your are faced with two seemingly opposing objectives: protect her from the world and prepare her for it. Its like a cosmic scale that slowly tips from protection to preparation as […]
My kids used to call out to me, “Mommy! Come swim with us!” I’d see them giggling and laughing in the water, becoming me to join in their fun. My heart ached with the want to. But I usually held […]
My seven-year-old didn’t want any part of the piano recital. He fought me on the song choice, refused to practice and balked at my insistence that he shower and put on a decent outfit. I knew that all of this was […]
A couple of years ago I arrived home one day to find a Ninja blender on my driveway. Confused, I brought it inside and called Kohl’s to ask what happened. Apparently my account had been hacked and the perpetrator ordered […]
Every working mother’s dream is to cart her young child along to an appointment. I recently found myself living this dream when my childcare blew up right before a pivotal meeting that had been hard-won and even harder to schedule. Unwilling to risk […]
We sat on the couch at 4AM, sipping coffee. My body was numb from exhaustion and the caffeine wasn’t helping. As rain pelted the windows and the wind whistled against the house, my husband and I tried to talk him […]