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Some days the writing just flows. Other days– it's more like trying to open the thick plastic they use to package batteries. Today is the latter. Bad for me, good for YOU, dear reader. Because instead of forcing something onto the page... I've decided to share a rough draft of a future chapter (the beginnings of it anyway). Please do, let me know what you think of it. I was standing at the stove, stirring the tortellini. One pan tortellini with sausage had become one of my fa

Yesterday was my birthday. If you don't know me in real life, I am really big on birthdays. I love them. And not just my own—I love all birthdays. This one day a year, we get to celebrate the odds-defying magic that a particular human came to be. All of the things that had to be right for it to happen. Not to mention all of the tiny cells, nuances, and character traits that make us up. Being YOU is a blessing and a miracle. I think that should be celebrated. So I do. I plan.

The very first time Julie met my children, we piled into her truck and went out to eat. It was a mild June day, and we chose to eat outside. The littles were enamored by her and insisted on sitting near her. When you have a party of five, you get used to pushing tables together to make room for everyone. That day, we pushed three two-tops together, Julie and the littles at one end, condiments in the middle, and Rhiannon and I at the other end. Julie played with the littles. S

I think I have always equated forgiveness with reconciliation. The idea of it, anyway. Like, once I’ve forgiven you, I must accept you and reconcile. It’s funny, actually, when you think of it. This idea that we must forgive (for ourselves), love and accept people as they are (to be holy), and reconcile to complete the circle. My 43rd birthday is looming on the horizon. That’s to say, I’ve been around the sun more than a handful of times, and I’d like to think I’ve learned a