I am up at 1:00 am to the sound of my daughter coughing. I find her stumbling, half-asleep toward my bedroom. She’s scooped into my arms and placed quietly back into bed. A hand to her forehead, then a thermometer. The fever pulsing through her body for nearly a week fights on. I stumble downstairs,...
In my chair, in a snug corner of the living room, I watch a flawless fall day unfold out the window. My view – tidy rows of little colonial townhouses, fluffy clouds against a brilliant blue sky. The leaves blush, submitting to the cool air in a transformation to golden ends. We’re here. We made...
This is our last summer in the small Massachusetts town we love. Come fall, we’ll hand the keys to someone else and start a new journey in Connecticut. Until then, we spend these perfect warm-weather days soaking up our favorite places and traditions around town. From evening walks around the town common ending with a...
I’ve been meaning for a while to write a post sharing that we’re moving “down south” to Connecticut 🙂 In March, we purchased 42 acres of wooded land that we’re rather determined to turn into a little farm. A little farm fifteen minutes from Hartford, that is. I’d like to say this is one of...
I did a lot of planting last year… …both literal and figurative. I planted a lilac bush at the corner of the house, dreaming of the day when its fragrance might waft in from the guest room window just above where it sits. The autumn before, my daughter and I spent a perfectly crisp day...
“If only I could be a better mom.” “If only I’d been a better friend.” “If only…” these words keep me awake at night, ever reminding of all I’ve done wrong. Every time I get my footing, life washes me out to sea again. “You’re not enough.” “It’s your fault,” my brain screams relentlessly.
From the first petal in spring to the last leaf of autumn, my daughter loves showering me with “flowers.” Nothing is too humble or lowly for her notice and admiration. Weeds, blades of grass, and the most ornate flowers equally receive her doting and delight. Still, she surprises me. When winter sets in and the...
The word pressed into my heart with every beat right now is contentment, contentment, contentment. I’ve spent the past few years with so much wanting. Wanting more, wanting different. Not all wanting is bad. Not all having is good