There's a widow in our community whom I have long known from afar. I wrote an open letter to her years ago, after her husband was shot and killed on duty as a law enforcement officer. I am pretty sure I spotted her in the corner booth at Chick-fil-A this week. Not in a creepy […]

On my birthday, I exhaled into a new word: Freedom.  For nearly three weeks of my new age of 43, I've been letting this word show me what it means. So far, Freedom means giving away the shoes that hurt my feet.  I have long heard women older than me say things like, "I am […]

I hate going to the eye doctor.  I hate it, and so I don't go. I should go, especially because I have a vision disorder that makes my eyes very, very tired for most of the day. But I don't go because I consider these some of the joys of being an adult: choosing when […]

We are reeling once more. I can't process it this time. I can't seem to go near it. Lunchboxes and backpacks and band-aids and freckles. These are not headlines and casualties. These are children. I can't go near it.  It's too big to hold. The phrase "My God" is trending on Twitter. The world is […]

I often wonder how friendships are born. I think about this a lot, actually. Are they part of a greater story, characters who were always meant to be together? Or is it a matter of "right place at the right time?" Are friendships like seeds planted in the soil of our lives, and they grow […]

I was standing on the sidelines, technically behind the sidelines, tucked into a grove of pine trees. Anywhere else I stood in the expanse of this historical mansion, and I’d end up in the background of somebody’s photos. Traditionally, prom is an event for only juniors and seniors, but if the theatre community likes a […]

I've been in my share of parades. Probably more than my share, actually. Marching band parades, down the main street and next to the fire station of my home town, ringing in the glorious mark of Memorial Day. (You have to love a town that has a Memorial Day Parade.) Halloween parades with a whole […]

I have always been the caboose, always at the end of the line putting all my people in front of me.  I was pushing a stroller, then a double stroller, then a stroller again.  Sometimes with a toddler beside me, but always still in front of me.  From the moment they were mobile, I have […]

Once upon a time, I read the book My One Word. If you've been around for my writing, or teaching, or thinking out loud at a dinner party, you may know that book changed my life, revolutionizing the ways that I think about change, growth, and a New Year. As far as longevity and influence […]

This week, I learned that Sepsis does not, in fact, have the power to take from me every man I love. On Thursday, my dad had a minor out-patient procedure. On Friday, he had a fever and started acting strange. On Saturday morning, my mom called 9-1-1. She called me.  "They're on their way." "What's […]

We are at the life stage where the boys come home late at night after a shift at work or a musical theater rehearsal, and then they scrounge the cupboards for evening snacks like Ramen or quesadillas. There is much talk most mornings about the rogue dishes that show up long after the kitchen is […]

When I was a little girl, I loved watching Mr. Rogers. I would sit in my living room and stare at the TV, watching so closely and listening to whatever he was talking about, soaking it all in. I loved his sweater and his shoes, I loved when he would feed the fish. Admittedly, I […]

I had spent a couple of years without a place to call home on Sunday mornings.  There were no real reasons, I guess, but one week at home had turned into a few weeks, then into a few months, into a straight-up sabbatical from Sunday morning routines. Church and me: we were on a break. […]

For a brief season of their childhood, my boys gave gymnastics a try. In retrospect, I think they were more interested in learning fancy trampoline tricks, but nonetheless, for a few months I spent many an afternoon in the tumbling gym. My mind wandered while my boys were flipping and flying with the one class […]

I wrote this week that we have now officially entered the week of the year when I have no idea what day it is, and I wander from room to room in my pajamas, carrying all of my new books, and eating a Christmas cookie. My friend Angie sent me a meme that shares my […]

My first husband died eleven years ago, on the morning of December 23, 2010. In the days to follow, I released this personal account of his final hours, the story I must write. Please be advised, these paragraphs are graphic, detailed, personal, and mine. Read with caution, respect, and care. These words hold my very […]

I have been thinking of the words, "Let every heart prepare him room." As we prepare our homes, decorate our trees, hang our lights, frost our cookies, and prepare our feasts, we are preparing room.  We are making space to remember: something amazing happened.  They waited for him then, and we wait for him now. […]

I don't know if I've mentioned this recently, but Tuck is in tenth grade.  He has far surpassed my height, he drives me all over town, and he bakes dinner at least once a week.  He is taking a child development class this semester, and he has been learning and talking about words like breastfeeding, […]

I'm feeling the wonder of autumn tonight. (It's probably because peeling apples makes me feel like a domestic goddess. I should probably dial it down a bit. If I ever fold laundry and peel apples in one week, my pride may swell larger than anyone will be able to stand. That's why I have to […]

Knock, Knock. Who's there? Something that should matter to you. Something that should matter to you - who? Yes. And also Where and When and How and For What Purpose and For What Cause. Everything matters.   There's so much to care about. Everybody is giving me more things to care about.  The headlines are […]