Posted on August 9, 2018
What is it you want to grow?
He wanted to grow a cabbage. The biggest one ever, he declared as he carried his tiny plant home from the bus stop. He was waving this paper about prizes you could win if your cabbage grows the biggest; visions of farmland and blue ribbons danced behind his eyes. But here’s the thing. This suburban boy of mine? He doesn’t even like cabbage.
Updated on August 1, 2018
The one way to avoid the hustle of a new season
An orange one subject wide-ruled spiral notebook. It said it right there in the middle of the 4th-grade school supply list. Like it was no big deal. Right between pencils, pens, and erasers. Like it would be just as easy to locate. An orange one subject wide-ruled spiral notebook. It might as well have said a one-eared single-toed sloth.
Updated on July 24, 2018
Do you know how to turn this thing around?
They waited all week for that kayak. The one we had promised to rent while on vacation. The one that, yes, they would be allowed to take out by themselves. Their dad said that, not me. I get seasick just looking at the waves for too long; so this was his gig. Finally, the boat was delivered and carried to the beach. The little one’s life vest was buckled tight and everyone told where to hold on.
Updated on July 4, 2018
A prayer for our country on this Independence Day
Today we will proudly wear our red, white and blue. We will fire up grills, gas up boats, pack up picnic baskets, line parade routes and shoot off fireworks. Today, we will celebrate the birth of this great nation; our land of the free; our home of the brave.
Updated on June 14, 2018
Running up hills
It’s a circle; four miles of hills and valleys that winds its way around the familiar streets of my neighborhood. When I need to exercise, all I have to do is lace up my shoes and go. I don’t even really need to open my eyes because, after thirteen years of pounding the pavement on these sidewalks, I know every crack and uneven patch on whole the loop. I could walk it blindfolded. But. I’m seriously uncoordinated; so I haven’t tried that.
Updated on May 31, 2018
On being a friend and having a friend
There is no greater gift in life than the gift of a friend. I was six when I first got this. Six years old, and ridiculously shy. Friends were not my thing. I struggled to navigate school without actually having to talk and spent many of my days terrified that someone would look at me. I followed all the rules, all the time in hopes of never being noticed. And most days it worked. Until it didn’t.
Updated on May 19, 2018
How to have a perfect summer
Summer. I’m slathering sunscreen on boys before their inaugural dip in the pool when I catch the first whiff of it; freshly cut grass, sunshine, chlorine, watermelon, and lemonade all mingle into a scent that transports me through time. I can nearly touch and taste the season getting ready to unfold. And these words from an old Ray Bradbury book run right through my mind. “Dandelion wine. The words were summer on the tongue. The wine was summer caught and stoppered” (Bradbury). And so here we are. Summer, once again.
Posted on May 11, 2018
The things a mom knows
What is it like to be a mom? Tell me all the things you know. What should I learn so I can get this right? A friend, getting ready to begin her journey into motherhood, writes this to me. I’m fifteen years into this gig; so I guess she thinks I know some things. But. I can’t seem to find the words. I just send her this picture. It’s a lot like this, I write back. Every. Day. You just have to learn to embrace the crazy.
Updated on May 3, 2018
The stories we tell and what I don’t know about the Enneagram
The Enneagram. Ever heard of it? It’s ok if you haven’t. And if you have, you are either shaking your head or clapping your hands. People tend to love this description of human psyche and personality or they hate it. And I know just enough about it to be dangerous.
Posted on April 19, 2018
What do you want to be when you grow up?
An NBA player. That’s how my big boys answered the “what I want to be when I grow up” question for years. And the little one is still holding fast to his pro football dreams. So we should be all set for our retirement, right?
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