My husband Paul and I took a body blow at the end of one September. We’d had a baby boy in adoptive placement in our home for two months, thinking he would be ours forever, and then one day we knew he wouldn’t. We surrendered him back to the arms of the young woman who… Continue reading The Unexpected Grace of Pumpkins
Category: Family
MINE
Some of you are going to think less of me after you read this. I don't care. It's time we talked about this. I don't like sharing my food with my kids. They're sneaky, and they learn it early. They sidle up under your arm at two years old with those enormous dark liquid eyes… Continue reading MINE
Help Keep Levi Crazy!
It's that time again, folks. I will be riding in the CF Cycle for Life fundraiser next Saturday, September 15. If you want to skip all the fol-de-rol and go straight to donating, here's the link. Cystic fibrosis is a currently uncurable genetic disease. Improved treatments and medicines have lengthened the predicted lifespan of CF… Continue reading Help Keep Levi Crazy!
Double Digits
This post is late, and I have guilt about it. I did a post about Elias on his birthday, and Levi's birthday was three days ago now. I started this post before Levi's actual birthday, not that it makes a difference. Levi will forgive me for this without a second thought, and that almost makes it worse.… Continue reading Double Digits
This Is Eight
It's a birthday tradition, jumping on top of Mom in bed at an ungodly hour, and Elias did not disappoint. This is eight. The boundless energy that shows up as blurry limbs in photos. "Mom," he said this morning, quiet because it was early and he's learned some things about his mother, "there are presents."… Continue reading This Is Eight
A Perfect Gift for Mom
I ran into my friend Beth at the grocery store last May. This was not all that surprising, since we'd both just been at the same rehearsal. We got to stand and talk, which was a treat. Mostly we're like ships passing in the night. Friendly ships, but not ships with a lot of time… Continue reading A Perfect Gift for Mom
Lie Up, and Survive
This is a text exchange I had with a friend last week. Here is what I have learned from this conversation and the bajillion like it I've had in the past: It's not just you. It's never just you. I know Pinterest and Instagram and Sunday mornings at church make it easy to believe… Continue reading Lie Up, and Survive
Backward and Forward
Four years ago today, my mother died. Today is pretty good. Yesterday was pretty bad. Yesterday, I wanted to crawl under my desk, turn off the lights, and shut the door to my office. I didn't. I had a Dairy Queen Blizzard for lunch instead. I got home and waved the babysitter away, and stretched… Continue reading Backward and Forward
Watching Headlines
I ran by the grocery store yesterday to get a few things for Memorial Day. We're having a pretty quiet day, but my sister takes our boys to the cemetery for the 21-gun salute every year, and we have breakfast when they come back. I hadn't planned a thing, so I was picking up last-minute… Continue reading Watching Headlines
A Box
Some evenings, I work. I'm not home when the boys get off the bus. I have been hesitant to let them stay on their own. It's not that long until their father gets home from work, but it's long enough. I was talking to a friend about this recently, and I paused in my explanation.… Continue reading A Box