One of my favorite Dr. Seuss books has always been The Lorax, and it has inspired all sorts of artistry in me over the years, tree-hugging, pseudo-hippie-freak, liberal environmentalist and conservationist, and reincarnated dryad that I am. It’s always been incredibly important to me to instill the same love of nature in my children. [...]
It’s a new year. Everyone is doing these turning of time posts. A year in review. Resolutions. Goals. Hopes. Dreams. Prayers… All I can think is… I don’t wanna fail. So I’m not doing any of that. I’m not setting myself up with goals or resolutions that I’m not going to come close to [...]
for Zoë Elaine I refuse to blindly tell her not to run inside or walk barefoot over stones or splash through ten-inch puddles to stay out of the mud or not to eat off the floor or that fire only burns I don’t want to just say no if there’s any reason to [...]
Last week was rough. Lots of unexpected changes and significant news regarding job situations, health concerns, and IRS reviews – just to name a few of the most significant. And in addition to all of those major things, one more shoe dropped – just big enough to be annoying (and to complicate some of the larger [...]
I’ve been toying with a phrase for the past couple weeks. Something of a “melancholic relief” has settled on me. I’ve been really struggling with several major pieces of who I am since the year began. Several things in my life have changed and several more are yet to change. I’ve come to some important [...]
Today I realized I’m “old.” Now I realize that probably half my readership is older than I am, so don’t freak out on me. Just go with it. When I was my son’s age, I was in awe of the fact that my parents were older than 30. I couldn’t imagine ever being that old. [...]
she reconnectsas she’s done beforepossibly millions of times each time pieces fit againexactly the waythey always have it’s her world nowwhere she stands aloneredundantly seeking a match I sit and watchthis profound simplicitythe certainty in the same then a sudden remembranceof the one left behinda flick of a hand over shoulder not even stoppingor turning [...]
I go to, what I would refer to as, a very non-traditional church. We don’t have a lot of standing traditions, but one of my favorites is our end-of-the year prayer cards. We fill out 3×5 cards (usually on the last Sunday of the year) with our prayers and hopes for the coming year. They [...]
I just returned from our first family Christmas dinner without Gramma, which went surprisingly well. With all due respect to Gramma, it was one of the most relaxed dinners we’ve had in a long time. Perhaps because no one felt the need to be on best behavior for Gramma’s sake and we were all our [...]
It’s waiting for Snoopy to float down the street or watching him deal plates out like cards making up name cards with feathers and buckles carefully penned in brown It’s hearing the tenor of Scarborough Faire watching my father do his Thanksgiving dance with the smells of parsley, of sage, of rosemary, of thyme. as [...]
