"Mom... what do you want for Mother's Day?" The holiday was only a few days away and my children were scrambling to make it special for me. This would mark the third Mother's Day without my mom, a constant reminder that I was now the matriarch of my family. This year would be different, however.… Continue reading Sand, Sun, and Quarantined Fun
Fast Food Formal
Seven weeks of home quarantine. So much has changed in the world these past seven weeks. All our spring activities were cancelled and the calendar which was once overflowing with daily commitments is now filled with Zoom meetings, online presentations, and virtual gatherings. We've had to rethink and reimagine life as it is right now… Continue reading Fast Food Formal
Reframing Perspective
"Mom, can we make brownies?" It was a simple request from my oldest child, now home from college, wanting something to do together. I peeked in my pantry, but didn't see any boxed brownie mix, so I told her we would have to make the brownies from scratch. I grabbed my phone, tapped on my… Continue reading Reframing Perspective
Miracles, Wonder, and Joy
Easter Sunday 2020 will be frozen in time for families all across the world. Everything we're used to doing - our family traditions and faith-filled celebrations - are overturned and moved to the side, much like the rock and empty tomb that was discovered on the third day after Jesus hung on the cross. What… Continue reading Miracles, Wonder, and Joy
Life Interrupted
It's been three full weeks since my life was interrupted by COVID-19. March 13 is marked on my calendar with black permanent marker: "Last Day Teaching At School." Each week since has carried the weight of a sucker-punch to the gut, from the news that schools would be closed the remainder of the year to… Continue reading Life Interrupted
Kindness in Quarantine
"Everything will be OK." These were the words I repeated to myself as my brain swirled with edges of panic. It was 2009 and my ten-year-old daughter's test results had come back positive for the highly contagious swine flu, a variant of the H1N1 virus that was quickly becoming a pandemic. We were told by… Continue reading Kindness in Quarantine
We Rise Together
Those closest to me can probably remember when I added "Become a Keynote Speaker" to my life-long bucket list. I had spent several years sharing my educational experiences at local and state conferences, but hadn't yet been invited to share my story to a large gathering. I was a novice to the main stage and,… Continue reading We Rise Together
Random Acts of Kindness Day 2020
What an exciting day! Today, February 17, is National Random Acts of Kindness Day and one of my favorite days of the year. An entire day spotlighting the good in our world? COUNT ME IN! This day of celebration was first created in 2004 by Josh de Jong of New Zealand and has grown in… Continue reading Random Acts of Kindness Day 2020
Capturing Memories
All my life I have been drawn to the ways we can capture moments and memories to last beyond the present day. As a child, I would take unused photo albums, their plastic pages ripping across the lines of yellow adhesive, and store mementos from childhood: Mrs. Grossman's stickers, newspaper clippings from our weekly Mechanicsville… Continue reading Capturing Memories
Signs of Love
Saturday was my mom's birthday. She would have been 66 years old. When I woke that morning, I wondered if I would feel her presence on her special day. After all, this is the third birthday since she's been gone. The grief has slowly abated from the constant turbulence of crashing waves where I could… Continue reading Signs of Love
