I am scraping out the innards of a huge spaghetti squash with a spoon. Yellow fibers and white seeds accumulate in a soft pile on my cutting board. I work purposefully- around and around. The more I scrape, the easier I can see the pale yellowish sides of this fleshy melon-shaped gourd. It is cathartic, …
A hug takes but a second. But that is hard for a big brother to understand, let alone tolerate. And she is tormenting him. Mercilessly. Arms wrapped around his waist in a vice-grip. He allows her for but a moment longer, and then I can see that he’s had enough. He says something smart- words …
Gratitude: it’s a matter of the heart. I could speak of the day. Gorgeous, crisp autumn chill. Leaves pattern the dying grass. Down a heritage road, I can see for a mile a canopy of tree branches laden down with hues of gold, crimson, burnt orange: deep and rich. Air pungent with earthy undertones. The …
{I have been feeling it all week- like a balloon expanding far past its limit. It pushes on my chest and squeezes my lungs. Stress. Anxiety. Tension. It is eating away at me from the inside out. I was able to hide it at first, putting my game face on to face the world. But …
I take it all in. The sky, with bits of pink and grey- strips of color extended across the remains of the day. We head for home- trying to beat the moon. The last One’s bike freezes up. Something about the front brakes- and I’m no bike technician. So while the others push for home, …
Sometimes one just needs to start where they are. A few years ago, I was dealing with some mysterious health issues. I was having trouble with my stomach. Having trouble with my skin. My respiratory system. My mental health. I was having trouble– and thus feeling in general like I was ten years older than …
Tonight, we sit out on the veranda, you and I, while candles flicker quietly at our feet. Three citronella in pots reduce to liquid. I say I like the smell, and you mistakenly think that I have given you a compliment. “It’s the smell of the river,” you say. And it’s true. You do smell …
So I might be a helicopter parent. A little bit hovery with a tad of overwhelming to boot. What’s it to you? I will admit it: I’ve done it again. Overstayed my welcome and got myself kicked out of camp. And all for the sake of saying one too many goodbyes and maybe re-checking that …
It was that kind of day. Woke up way too late, after a night of bad dreams. Disconcerting to wake up wondering, “Was that real?” Or not. Already knowing it would be THAT kind of day. During lunch, which I was rushing through so as to not be late for afternoon plans, I knocked over …
So…let’s talk about one of the best kept secrets that the parenting advice books will never touch on in their slick columns, and that is the art of pulling “the casserole card.” One of the greatest weapons in my arsenal of combat tactics, tricks and other such knick-knacks is this infamous casserole card trick. Whenever …
My son is celebrating his thirteenth birthday this month. I can hear him up in his room right now playing risk with two of his cousins, and my heart just swells with love. Here are thirteen things I now know- that I didn’t know then…and all because of becoming Sam’s Mama. I know more of …
I realized something today as I silently watched from that safe distance afforded one when the other is unaware. I watched as my husband tickled our daughter, her infectious giggles urging him to do more of the same. And as I watched, I knew for sure what I’d never known before. I don’t love my …