One Mom, Three Kids, Many Adventures
Can we all agree that one’s last-born child is a magical creature? They’re all magical in their own ways, of course, each imbued with unique traits that make them singularly beloved. But I found myself reflecting on the powerful enchantment wielded by the “baby” of the family, having spent several days with my own baby… Continue reading Reveling in the Magic of the Youngest Child
There is something to be said for a change of scenery. As much as I love the Bluegrass state, I was more than happy to pack my bags and head south of the border last month for a ten-day trip to Merida, Mexico. When your boyfriend is running a study abroad program in a tropical… Continue reading Vacation is great. Coming back is hard.
In my last column, I wrote about leaving a church – a transition that was harder than I expected. There’s another kind of transition, too. The kind you know will be hard and you can’t do anything about it. My grandfather died last month. He was ninety-nine years old. He died peacefully and with enough… Continue reading The Beautiful Melody of a Life Well-Lived
Some transitions are unexpectedly hard. My ex-husband is a pastor, which meant that when we got divorced, I had to find a new church. Or, as turned out to be the case most weeks, I had to (got to?) adjust to a new schedule on Sunday mornings that didn’t involve wrestling small children into nice… Continue reading Farewell to a Church Family – with Love
I’ve recently fallen back in love with books. Not that I ever really stopped loving them. I’m a bibliophile at heart, but over the past few years, my literature consumption had waned significantly. It wasn’t just the arrival of children in my life. When they were tiny, I read a lot. I have luminous memories… Continue reading Audiobooks Reignite a Reader’s Passion
With every relocation, there’s that one last box that resists being unpacked. Long after the dishes are in the cupboard, the clothes are in the dresser, and the hair dryer is tucked into its new drawer, that last box lingers. It sits in the corner of the den, or just inside the door to the… Continue reading Unpacking the Final Box
I didn’t buy a dog for protection. Which is a good thing, considering Buddy is a big wimp. Maybe that isn’t fair. Buddy does have protective instincts. We just have very different definitions of what constitutes a clear and present danger to the family. For example, based on the tenor of his barking, Buddy is… Continue reading In which my dog fails to protect me
I’ve been pondering the nature of freedom a bit this week. Not the flags flying, fireworks exploding, stand for the national anthem, blood of our forefathers kind of freedom that gets most of the attention. I was thinking more about individualized freedom in its domestic and mundane appearances. That feeling of release, of unencumbered lightness… Continue reading Freedom to Bike or Run – or Nap
It’s all fun and games until a chicken dies. I have a sad confession to make. My sweet dog is a cold-blooded killer. Or maybe he’s just an over-enthusiastic playmate. Honestly, I’m still not sure, even after the feathers have settled. But the fact is that my neighbor’s chicken is dead and it was most… Continue reading In Which a Chicken Makes a Big Mistake
By Monday afternoon, I was tired. The three-day Labor Day holiday was lovely – a chance to enjoy one last summer weekend. We packed a lot in. Two birthday parties, a couple play dates, multiple trips to a newly completed splash park in town. There were extra kids at the dinner table and spending the… Continue reading This Calls for a Coronation
