Out of nowhere the words came out of his mouth–slicing the air.  She cowered a little lower at each blow. Not a physical blow, but harsh, hurtful, surprising, and unsettling words.  By the time he finished his speech, she was a pile of stunned brokenness on the floor. What just happened, she wondered?  Where did all that even come from, she thought? For hours she played back the words he […]

Many things can be said about time. Time flies when you’re having fun.  Time heals all wounds.  Time is an illusion.  You can’t stop time. Ugh…and there it is. You can’t stop time. I have this picture in my head.  It’s kind of like a daydream.  Or maybe it’s metaphorical for something I’m trying to process in my head. I’m holding this giant alarm clock. It’s the old-fashioned kind. It’s […]

“There’ll be scary ghost stories and tales of the glories of Christmases long, long ago.” I’ve always wondered about this particular line in the famous Christmas Carol, It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  I mean, didn’t we just celebrate the “scary” holiday two months earlier?  What do ghost stories and Christmas have to do with each other? Well, the line in this song makes a little more sense […]

We’ve officially resided in the desert for just shy of 18 months. I love most things about living here. I like that we don’t have to shovel wet, heavy, snow in the spring. I like that we get to enjoy amazing sunsets every night. I like that we have a Monsoon Season, with thunder, lightening and rain in the middle of the scorching summer months. I like feeling the warmth […]

It was a Sunday afternoon, and I had a really great coupon to one of my favorite clothing stores that was expiring soon. I decided to make a quick stop at this favorite store of mine. I found a few items, tried them on, was pleased with how they looked, and proceeded to check out with the cute, friendly, sales associate, who most likely goes to high school with my […]

It’s called Black Hawk Days, fondly named after the school mascot.  It happens once a year at this time, when students from these parts wind down summer break, and focus their attention on the new school year. Black Hawk Days is a fancy way of saying, Students: It’s Time to Pick Up Your Class Schedule, and While You’re at It, Bring a Parent or Guardian, and their Wallet. I had […]

It was Christmastime, 2016, and I was preparing to host the Arizona side of our family for Christmas Eve.  I enjoy entertaining, and I really enjoy Christmas, so it was a win-win for me.  About a week before Christmas, I went through my dish sets and started figuring out how I wanted to set the table, when I realized I didn’t have complete or matching sets of silverware.   This is […]

She could not meet another brand new group of mothers. She’d found socializing with the school mums difficult enough when her life was in perfect order. The chat, chat, chat, the swirls of laughter, the warmth, the friendliness (most mums were so very nice) and the gentle hint of bitchiness that ran beneath it all. She’d done it other places. She’d made a few friends on the outskirts of the […]

She’s always been our brutally honest child. The girl speaks truth—and not always wrapped in love. You can look back at my blog archives and read story after story of this child’s honesty. But something has happened as she’s matured. She has a filter now. She’s learning when to speak up, and when to hold her tongue. She’s learning that there are times when spoken words are better received than […]