The Date
On Tuesday Ella arrives home, flushed and excited, asking if she could use the phone to call her best friend. She disappears into her room with the phone but comes out a few minutes later. “She wasn’t there.” I look at her carefully. Her cheeks are scarlet. Her sapphire eyes are sparkling. Her freckles are [...]
Win a day at the Spa
To celebrate the special $2.99 price on The River Valley Collection in May, I’m hosting a giveaway for my readers. Enter now to win $200 in SpaWish eGift cards (4 cards, $50 each) and treat yourself to a well-deserved day at the spa. SpaWish gift cards never expire and can be redeemed at over 5,700 locations. BONUS [...]
Pink Cake
On Friday morning Emerson wakes early. It’s the day of my party, Mommy. I yawn and rub my eyes. Yes, the party. The party, anticipated for weeks now. Four little girls and Emerson. There will be crafts and a scavenger hunt and one of Ella’s cakes. A pink cake with pink frosting, please, Emerson says [...]
Cherry Blossoms
I wait in the pickup line at my daughters’ elementary school, just one minivan in a long line of similar child transporting vehicles. The playground is wide and green, the sun reflected on snowcapped mountains behind our suburb. I take in a deep breath, enjoying this small reprieve between writing and mothering. I have the [...]
Try
But just because it burns Doesn’t mean you’re gonna die You’ve gotta get up and try, and try, and try ~ Pink, Try On a Saturday in February I receive a text from my best friend: You have to stop working and go out of the house. You’re a cat away from being a crazy [...]
Except to Live
Shine your light today. Light is the antithesis of darkness. The brighter our collective light, the better we’ll outshine the darkness. ~ Writer and editor, Diane Hughes The headlines capture our reluctant eyes first. Bombing. Boston Marathon. We are first in denial. Perhaps it won’t be too bad, we think. Just a minor incident, no one [...]
At the Wedding, I danced.
Well, that was your mother And that was your father Before you was born dude When life was great You are the burden of my generation I sure do love you But let’s get that straight ~ Paul Simon, “That Was Your Mother” from the album, “Graceland”. On a Friday in late March, I fly [...]
Tracey and Logan
Tracey Hansen, my friend and fellow writer (we co-wrote Write for the Fight) is marrying the love of her life, Logan Frazier, on April 6. Six months ago, I was honored and humbled when she asked if I might write something to read during the ceremony. I accepted without question, although, I will admit, I [...]
Vampire
When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time. Maya Angelou We’ve all been there – that moment when someone we love and trust betrays us on such a level that it brings us to our knees. We sob on the bathroom floor with that ache in the middle of our chests [...]
Saturday Morning
“Yet little by little I learned to love my life. Though sometimes I had to run hard- especially from melancholy – not to be held back.” Mary Oliver, from HUM HUM Sunlight is bright on my front window, the one in need of replacement. Not properly sealed, the window washer says last spring. Not properly [...]
