Halloween was an emotional eternity ago, although, in reality, it’s only been days. We had our five trick-or-treaters. The deer actually left our pumpkins alone. And we consumed the four bags of Halloween candy I bought “just in case.” All in all, this year was much like last year. It ...

One of our dogs crossed the rainbow bridge this week. Sophie, our little Chiweenie, has been slowly failing for a while, so it wasn’t unexpected. That doesn’t mean that it was easy. By accident or design, I have become Mother Reaper; the person in our family who oversees our dogs’ final ...

“Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing.” OK, so maybe I wasn’t one of Macbeth’s witches, but I felt like one as I studied the display of herbal teas. While I may sip on lemonade and iced ...

As young parents, we suffered from the illusion of control. We knew with absolute certainty what paths our children would take, what sports they would play, what their personalities would be. Lord, we were foolish. But we knew ... we knew our children would love whole grains and vegetables, our ...

When flipping back through the album of childhood memories, sometimes a seemingly meaningless mental photograph gains focus. With sudden clarity, your brain has an “Ah ha” moment recognizing how a small event significantly shaped your person. Second grade looked promising: We would ...

One meal plan swipe card deactivated. Two parking violations. Three RA interventions to manually unlock her dorm room door. The first weeks of college are over. Our youngest is adjusting in fits and starts. Bill and I are, too. We are currently in our “let’s keep busy and avoid being ...