“…find all the walls you have built around the way you think things should be.”      -Rosemerry Wahtola Trommer Something happened last week. I was told something I already knew. The phrasing was off and wrong, and the words used brought me literally to my knees. Still, I already knew. I understood my young daughter sees the world differently […]

What about me? It isn’t fair I’ve had enough, now I want my share Can’t you see, I wanna live But you just take more than you give                                                 -Moving Pictures If I remember correctly, they lyrics are from Arthur, a 1981 movie. I loved this song when I was a kid. Seriously, life was […]

I am thinking about change. One of my favorite quotes regards this life constant. “The moment of change is the only poem,” wrote Adrienne Rich. Fall is here. It’s in the air: a chill covers even the sunniest afternoon. I have bought the girls’ school supplies. I’m thinking about sweaters and I have already worn […]

Unfolding. We can’t plan it if we try. —Joi Sharp The word of the summer is unfolding. This holds several connotations. If you have been following our journey of sickness throughout the season, this points to laundry. Unfolded clothes are piling up everywhere, thanks to lice, the stomach flu, and impetigo. Dirty clothes and towels […]

It has been a week. Take right now. I should be working, but my brain is fuzzy from lack of sleep. And I am rather focused on checking on Annie, who is down with the stomach flu. She is the third casualty, and, the flu started with me over a week ago. It has been […]

So, yeah, I turned 40 with much fanfare and planning. June has decided to be mostly grey, but man, I shined this past weekend. Chris did not realize I was turning 40 this year. I was shocked. “You mean all the talk of my birthday seemed normal to you?” I asked.  Ok, so I love […]

Lately, life seems pretty wide open. I mean, it still keeps coming at me full force. There is news of lice in my in-box. Girls that want to skip school and lunches to pack. I have bills to pay and feelings to maneuver. I survived a sleepless Girl Scout overnight. I am even the one […]

Last week my oldest friend on the planet came to visit. When we were kids, there was one house between our homes. It’s safe to say I have known her almost my entire life. When I was growing up, she was a constant presence. It was easy to note how different we were back then. […]

This morning my husband delivered a box to my office and said, “Here are your books.” Talk about a work interruption. Joy erupted and bliss ensued. It is no small thing to achieve a childhood dream. I can still see myself at the school playground behind my house, imaging the book I would write. Of […]

As a teenager, I used to write the same line of poetry often: “No one could be here today.” I was always looking for someone to be there for me. I needed companionship, reassurance, a reason to be OK with me. I still hear that line in my mind. When I am lonely or unsure […]