Mauve Sheets and Almonds
This weekend, George was invited to play in a Mendelssohn octet at the Toledo Museum of Art. I had just moved a state away for my brand new job, and I made the first of what will be many decisions to not drive back to Ohio. It was not an easy decision. It will never […]
Firstborn
It is not a debilitating disease. It is not a death. It is not a permanent loss or a mistake that can never be undone. But sending your firstborn off to college is not nothing. People have often asked us these questions… Was having four kids harder than having three? Was going from man-to-man to […]
When We Were Young
We lived at Chris’s family farm, the three of us. Sam was the 6th generation Willis to inhabit the 100-year-old farmhouse. We tore out old ceilings, built bigger closets, painted every surface that could be prepped and sanded. We sang and danced a lot then, that cerulean-eyed, 10-pound baby in my arms or strapped to […]
Graduation Day
When those four babies of mine still fit in my arms, I said I’d never forget. The smell of their heads, the soft of their skin, the curve of their toes, their paper-thin fingernails. But the truth is, I have. The details elude me now. Sometimes they come back to me in bits and pieces, […]
From Boy to Man
Hey, World! I’d like to introduce you to your newest adult. Statistically, the United States alone is celebrating 12,000 new adults today (give or take a few), but I happen to know one of them pretty personally. After all, he lived right next to my heart for nine months. Here are eighteen things I can […]
College Boy
Seventeen short years ago, I reeked of spoiled milk. Our firstborn was a spitter-upper of epic proportions. We always advised friends and family to hold him facing outward, or they’d inevitably end up with formula stains down their backs. In the early days, his thighs were plump enough to rival any Thanksgiving turkey, and his […]
Turn, Turn, Turn
Yesterday was the release of My Other Ex: Women’s True Stories of Leaving and Losing Friends. It’s a beautiful collection, penned by many gifted writers. What an honor it is to share these pages with them. I’ve been so privileged to be included in two inspiring 2014 anthologies. My cup runneth over. Of course, as […]