She was born during a snow storm in the middle of December in upstate New York, where the winters are long and grey. Returning home with her from a week-long NICU stay was the start of one of the most trying times in my life. I was relieved to have her home. Relieved that she was... Continue Reading →
My dear baby girl, I see it starting. When I put your jacket on and your sleeve bunches up and you scream and shake your head. When I walk away from you for a brief moment and your bottom lip curls under and tears well up in your eyes. When the laughter of others around... Continue Reading →
"You shouldn't live your life for the weekends", they say. But right now, I do. When I arrive at my office on Monday mornings, a giant void fills me and I'm already counting the hours to 4pm. It's not because I hate my job. It's not because my nights and weekends are filled with spontaneity... Continue Reading →
— *at home 1 : relaxed and comfortable : at ease This morning, Facebook reminded me that exactly one year ago was the last time I set foot in the house I considered home for nearly 30 years. Two years after my parents put it on the market, the sign on the lawn now read... Continue Reading →
Originally written in Cocoa Florida, April, 2012 A rainy day in a place where you spent so much of your life seems like a good day for reflection. One of my deepest sorrows in life is not having gotten to know you longer—to have shared more of my life with you. All I really have... Continue Reading →
I stand leaning over the side of your crib, forearms resting on the hard plastic frame. At least I think it’s plastic—or some other man-made material that they texturize and paint to make it look like wood. Because nothing is actually made from real wood anymore—at least not anything that new parents can afford. Real and... Continue Reading →
It was a typical Thursday morning, but the gloomy clouds and drizzling rain poetically accompanied a nagging sadness that I tried to ignore as I went about my routine. My mom left early that morning after staying with us for a month-long visit. I missed her. But I didn't expect to. The feeling of emptiness... Continue Reading →
"Do not ask your children to strive for extraordinary lives. Such striving may seem admirable, but it is the way of foolishness. Help them instead to find the wonder and the marvel of an ordinary life. Show them the joy of tasting tomatoes, apples and pears. Show them how to cry when pets and people die. Show them the infinite pleasure in the touch of a hand. And make the ordinary come alive for them. The extraordinary will take care of itself." — William Martin
So, my father posted this picture to Facebook while he, Stella and I, were out grabbing a bite to eat. I didn't see it until later, after I had gotten home and put her to bed, but it completely stopped me in my tracks. I was actually embarrassed that his friends and my other family... Continue Reading →
I could never envision my wedding day until my husband and I began planning ours. This was his day as much as it was mine...
