My friend’s daughter died yesterday. She was a college student. I only met her a few times, but she was beautiful and she was smart and she was full of the joy of life. She had cystic fibrosis. Her lungs stopped working. Lots of CF patients have double lung transplants. Some of them have the… Continue reading A Goodbye Too Soon
Category: Parenting
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
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
Never
Paul asked me again when I am taking this picture down. He's asked at intervals for years. He doesn't like the answer, for reasons that escape me. Never. I am never taking it down. It used to be above the fireplace in a frame, but the frame was destroyed in a mysterious accident. I wasn't… Continue reading Never
Slip Slidin’ Away
My children are getting on the bus by themselves now, running down the long lane, shoving and yelling and giggling all the way. I didn't mean for this to happen yet. They are old enough by any objective standard, but people rocket down our rural road like they are practicing for the Autobahn, and mothers… Continue reading Slip Slidin’ Away
Don’t Wanna
I got this in the mail last week. I haven't opened it. I know what it is, and I'm being a brat. It's a nice thick packet. It's all the paperwork that I need to fill out in advance of Levi's annual appointment at the cystic fibrosis center. I've written about annual appointments before. Short version: We… Continue reading Don’t Wanna
Spring Break
At least that's what they're calling this week off school. I haven't seen a lot of evidence of spring. The temperatures are above freezing, at least, and we can all be grateful for that. People keep asking, but we don't have big plans for spring break. The boys already had an extended stay in Florida… Continue reading Spring Break
It’s Not Just You
I just sent this text to a friend. It helps to know we're not the only ones. This is the greatest gift we can give one another, the gift of it's not just you. I feel like I say this all the time (feel free to roll your eyes at me), but I really only write about… Continue reading It’s Not Just You