A few weeks ago my husband and I found ourselves in a situation that doesn’t come often enough. We were home alone, and our three kids were out. As we were, let us say taking advantage of our good fortune, the doorbell rang. Our first kid wasn’t due home for another hour. We couldn’t imagine who would be at the door. Joe got out of bed and peaked out of our window. It … [Read more...]
For the Love of Fran
I wrote this piece a few weeks before my dear aunt Fran lost her battle with cancer more than two years ago. Even after all this time, I find myself stopping to call her whenever my mother is driving me a bit crazy, or my kids are doing something I know she would love. This week would have been her 76th birthday. Though my mother named me Katherine, she has always had … [Read more...]
An Unplanned Change of Direction
Some events occur and we know instantly our lives have been changed forever. Other times something will happen, and we don’t recognize until weeks or months later that the course of our lives has been completely altered. I would put the days I found out I was pregnant with each of our three children in the first category. There was also the Valentine’s Day almost 24 years ago … [Read more...]
A Sign from Above
Throughout my life, in good times and bad, I’ve been comforted by signs and omens. Whether it’s hearing my favorite song come on when I’m feeling a little sad, or getting a call from an old friend at a particularly difficult point in my life, I’ve always seen these events as the way God or the universe communicates with me and lets me know I’m not alone. About eight years … [Read more...]
A Gift to Myself
Five years ago I sat down at my kids’ computer and started to connect with the online world. I found a Family Circle website and replied to a few posts. Each time a comment of mine got a like, I experienced a high I’d never known before. It didn’t take long before I started my own blog on one of the site’s platforms. When the very first piece I did, on the recent loss of … [Read more...]
