I’m eating ice cream in my office. I have never done this before. Indulged, alone, during the work day, with ice cream. I mean, I’ve indulged with cheese puffs and chocolates, but never ice cream. I’m at a lull in work, two assignments handed in, waiting for edits. Six stories to research, at the very […]
Category: Parenting
Seeing
Marge Piercy Plants a Phrase “Some collisions bring luck.” -MP I am the highway at dusk, pink light, Mt. Rainier marks my horizon. I am you, the one that curls into me on the couch, 16 and awake, you color the atoms of this room with everything you see. I am here, looking at trees […]
Difficult And Lovely
It’s OK that things are difficult. It’s OK that it’s dark outside when you wake. It’s OK that another summer has passed, and your babies are young adults. It’s OK that the face in the mirror has sun spots that darken with the sunlight of summer. It’s OK that things are difficult. That human growth […]
Grey August
The birds shake the tree outside the window. The house fan clicks on and off. We keep the windows shut to keep the smoke out. The day churns as the grey sticks as I grab onto the good stuff. I want so much art out of the every day. I want the small moments of […]
Dirt
Grace Grace Grace Grace Grace The word sits in front of my work desk, pushing me to offer myself the grace that I extend others. Already the day heats up. News from Liz’s choir director, sad my gifted singer is opting for swimming instead of the stress of a large group choir. Minutes later the […]
This Heart
My heart wants what it wants. On summer mornings, it purrs in the light from the living room window. Can’t these long days go on forever? The ones where we walk home as the light wanes and the flower color begins to pop thanks to the dark slowing spreading into the sky. Still, my heart […]
My Tears Are OK With Me
At my yearly medical exam yesterday, my doctor asked me how I am. Well, it’s been a difficult few years, I started. Then I got to the part where I mentioned that my kids were growing up and needing me so much less. And that when the older one needed me, she really needed me. […]
The Miracle
This not knowing is as uncomfortable as the vinyl seats in my car on a 90-degree day. I’ve just spent a few hours with my mother-in-law. I’m driving home, back to my holy house, and only my dog is home. My husband is hunting gooey ducks, my eldest is camping with friends, my youngest is […]
Holy Fire/Dirty Bathroom Mirror
Today’s the first day since June 7th that I’ve been home without kids for more than a few hours. Ah, I thought, I’ll have hours to work. Ah, my focus is not focused today. Even writing this feels not easy. We’re half in summer and half out. I’m right in the week between our family’s […]
Lucky
Do you know how lucky I feel? On a day like today when we’re celebrating endings and the sun shines, I know I have it all. Because who else gets to watch you sporting striped pants with confidence? So often, I write to get out of a downward spiral. I forget to note the goodness. […]