Giving Thanks

Gus Holding a Heart-Shaped Rock

I cannot deny that these past two years have been hard. Soul-crushing, fetal-position hard at times. Let me begin by saying this, by owning this: I know that if I threw my problems into a pile with all the other problems of the world, I’d grab mine back as quickly as I could. I know […]

It Takes a (Kind) Village

Bench with Heart Carved in it

As a writer, I face rejection on a daily basis. People love or hate my work — or worse, they’re indifferent to it. Agents say no, publishers say no, magazine editors say no. What that’s done for me is thicken my skin. (Not thicken my rear end, although some would beg to differ.) My point? […]

The Perks of Having an Under-Protective Mother

Mary Claire and George

I think movie raters might be dyslexic. The PG-13 rating? At times, I think they really mean for it to be PG-31. In fact, I’m not sure the movie I saw last week should have been less than a PG-42. I wasn’t quite ready for it. Maybe when I’m 43… It was a good idea […]

Bittersweet Sixteen

Sam as a Baby

Sixteen short years ago, he made me a mother. Now he has a driver’s license. And an adorable girlfriend. And a wicked sense of humor. And a killer smile. The world is his for the taking. Hug your babies, Mamas. And don’t blink. [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aYrXMZFOtOQ&utm_source=trigger&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=you_tube_ready]

NO!

Kids at Abrams

One of my very favorite songs to listen to when the kids were younger was the catchy “They Might Be Giants” tune, “NO!” It opens with this: “No is no. No is always no. If they say no, it means a thousand times no.” Pretty good preparation for life, methinks. We face a lot of […]