Ever notice when you buy a new car, you start to see that vehicle everywhere you go? You can feel quite certain this wasn't the case last month, there's no way you would have chosen the most popular car on the road. Or, when you are in a crowd of people (remember those?) and you... Continue Reading →
Keep Going
What do parents say when life gets hard with their children? “We are exhausted all of the time. I don’t know how to do this well.” “Is there a class we can take? Can you recommend a good book? Maybe she needs counseling.” “I love him, I just don’t like him right now.” “It’s a... Continue Reading →
Care Package
Last week we visited my Dad and his family in Alabama for Thanksgiving. It was a great time for all of my immediate family to descend on the farm and relax. It's very rare that we leave a place without forgetting something, and true to form, I left my glasses at their house and asked... Continue Reading →
If I Were There….
It's something we started years ago, I'm not sure exactly when or who said it first. But my friend and I lived many states away from each other and when one was really sick or hurting from a large disappointment in life, the other would say, "If I were there, I would make you a... Continue Reading →
Rubiks Cube
There are times going through life that something occurs and you know that you will not be able to return to what was ever again; you move cross country or leave an important relationship and can feel the glacial shift deep within your self. It’s like a Rubik’s cube and a new row of matching... Continue Reading →
I’m a Fan
Our son was playing in his last soccer game of the season, which meant the last sports tournament of his high school career. We have watched this kid run, catch, throw and kick from the sidelines for at least ten solid years, and this was the final time. It occurred to me that when our... Continue Reading →
What Do Adult Children Need?
What do they want from me? Sometimes our youngest will gush about how cool someone’s mom is, or how much money somebody’s parents spend on a friend’s wardrobe and I can start to feel anxious about the way I am viewed by our daughter and her friends. If I’m not really careful, I can feel... Continue Reading →
Do You See Me?
In tenth grade our daughter decided to become a rugby player. Our sweet, creative, incredibly dramatic daughter who is not terribly athletic wanted to play a violent game that we knew little about. We had some reservations, but went to the team meeting and entertained the idea. Somehow she convinced us that rugby was her... Continue Reading →
Still Learning
Recently my guy was telling me about an interaction with a colleague where the other person was incredibly rude, swearing at him, making accusations and issuing ultimatums. The guy is known as a hothead throughout the organization, but this was beyond his normal antics. I found myself getting agitated as he described the discussion that... Continue Reading →
Fight Fair
When you are in an argument with your spouse, do you tend to move towards or away from your significant other? I was always the one ready to fight, and used my readiness as an advantage over my guy, who needed time to take stock. Given time, he could think things through and get down... Continue Reading →