"Mom! Let's play a game together!" Even though I've been a parent for more than two decades, these words always make me smile. I love spending quality time with my children - individually and together - and I have a fully-stocked game closet ready at a moment's notice for whatever game they want to play.… Continue reading Tracking Towers
Category: mom
Five Years
Five Years. That's how long I have been without a mother. Today I wondered if I would see any hearts in the world around me, but nothing was unusual. Just another day, another date on the calendar. The world continues on. I listened to multiple renditions of "May the Fourth Be With You" as I… Continue reading Five Years
When Birthdays Continue
Yesterday was my mom's birthday. I woke up thinking of her, wondering how we might celebrate if she was still alive. Fifty years ago, in January 1972, she discovered she was pregnant with me, the weight of that insight surely a burden on her 18-year-old heart. Welcome to adulthood! Now you're a mother. I thought… Continue reading When Birthdays Continue
Four Years
My goodness. Today I awoke thinking of the extreme range of emotions on this day four years ago: Panic. Heartbreak. Surprise. Celebration. Jubilation. Wistfulness. Sadness. Sorrow. Gratitude. How can so many emotions fill the space of an ordinary day that remains frozen in the cracks and crevices of my mind? A day that ended up… Continue reading Four Years
Hearts of Love
Have you ever had a moment where something caught your eye because it was a bit out-of-place, but instantly reminded you of someone you loved? Maybe a bright red cardinal appeared on your back porch railing, out-of-season, and remained in that spot for a long stretch of time, shortly after a parent passed away. Perhaps… Continue reading Hearts of Love
Weathering Kindness and Change
Winter weather in the south is often a hit-or-miss event. There are some years where we have so many snow days occur that our district calendar is modified to make up for the loss of instructional time. There are other years where rain and sleet are the best we get, making for a long, dark… Continue reading Weathering Kindness and Change
One Step Closer to Heaven
I always knew I was destined to be a reader. While I can't quite recall the moment when letters became words and words became stories, my memories are scattered with still-frame snapshots of me reading. I can see myself in my mind's eye, stretched out on my twin-sized bed, completely engrossed in yet another Judy… Continue reading One Step Closer to Heaven
Sand, Sun, and Quarantined Fun
"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
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
This Moment
It happens in the blink of an eye. You enter this world, so small and pure and whole, this moment so encapsulating that we can't even fathom a day when you will be old enough to leave our wings of security. And yet... you do. You learn. You grow. You discover right ways and wrong… Continue reading This Moment
