"We rescued him from the mall." That's what I always say to describe how he came to be ours. In part, I say that because it can be considered poor taste to purchase a pet. I quickly learned this after posting about him on the blogs and socials. People panicked and sent me carefully worded […]
Today, I've been thinking about the time when we were on a layover at the airport and a young man asked Peter to tie his tie for him. His mother would be waiting for him at baggage claim, and he knew she'd want to see him in a tie. He needed somebody's dad to help […]
The puppies were spayed and neutered yesterday. Molly's was laparoscopic, two small incisions, so she seems to be doing well. Getting around the house, even climbed the steps to greet me today, which she wasn't supposed to do. But dogs will do what they want to see their person. She is wearing a little tank […]
I have a (deeply empathic) friend who feels sorry for Thanksgiving every year. She says it gets swallowed up in the aftermath of Halloween candy and the early arrival of Christmas on the shelves, and it’s tucked right next to Black Friday. Poor Thanksgiving, forced into a too-small seat of humility between the kids table […]
I read recently about an interview with author Nora Roberts, where someone asked her how to balance writing and kids. (Anything of this specific genre grabs my attention faster than a barista calling out the cup with my name on it.) She said the key to juggling is to know that some of the balls […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Somehow, I have become the mom sitting by the mirrors outside the men's dressing room, while the sons try on jackets, pants, shirts, and vests to wear to Homecoming. More importantly, these guys have become tall enough, broad enough, and particular enough to wear clothes that require a tape measure for specificity and fit. (We […]
So Rob said, "Hey, Trish, what if we did a live recording of Let's Talk Soon: The Podcast at your book launch?" And it was immediately almost more than I could stand. It's happening. August 14, 2021 4:00pm Ecclesia Market 221 Perry Street, Castle Rock, CO 80104 Tricia Lott Williford writes, blogs, and speaks […]
"Coming up with a new recipe to feed the family, or even putting together a presentation for a new client may not typically be thought of as creative acts, but they are. Creativity is about choices, training, experimentation, inspiration, history, commitment, and fun. Every occupation - from artist to businessperson, teacher to chef - […]
Thirteen Things I Learned from my Dad: 1. If you're going to get in trouble at school, let it be for talking too much to all of your many friends. Sociable is not a bad thing. 2. When putting together an outfit, choose the least noticeable color in the busier item, and make that your […]
"'It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day. I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was bailin' hay." That's how the song starts. With a haunting melody, it's story song about a boy's suicide when he jumps off the high bridge in their Missisippi County. The third of June is when […]
"All I want for Mother's Day is a picture of my kids," she told us. Well, that's simple enough. Plus, we had spent a good decade-and-a-half under closely guided training from my dad on how to honor my mom on the days that belonged to her. One of the top rules: if she makes a […]
Everybody who becomes an adult has to be fourteen once, and it’s a rough time of transition for everybody involved in that year of slamming bedroom doors. It’s a year of strong emotions, and manipulating heartstrings like one learning to play a violin: screeching and awkward until it becomes classy or even tolerable. Or maybe […]
"Mom, I asked her to be my girlfriend. But don't worry - I talked to her dad already." "You asked her dad?" Peter and I exchanged silent glances, since "asking the dad" isn't something we had coached this young man to do. There are a few gifts born from my sons watching my own love […]
Maybe you've seen this story that's circulating on social media: "Years ago, anthropologist Margaret Mead was asked by a student what she considered to be the first sign of civilization in a culture. The student expected Mead to talk about fishhooks or clay pots or grinding stones. But no. Mead said that the first sign […]
This is the final week of distance learning, a household term that nobody knew three months ago. This week, we go to the school to pick up what was left behind in their lockers in the Great Middle School Rapture of March 2020. One of the parents commented on the school thread: I'm so sorry […]
