I hope I will never forget the feeling of your tiny face tucked up under my chin as you turned away from the wind, the tickle of your hair against my cheek, the soft brush of your breath on my neck, the sound of your little voice saying my name over and over on this … More
Have you ever purchased a birthday card for someone and then forgotten to send it? I do not mean you forgot by a few days, and you mailed it anyway, because it’s just a few days, it is still within the birth month and anyway, it’s the thought that counts, right? That is perfectly acceptable. I … More It’s in the mail.
I get it, Summer. It’s hard to say goodbye. But it’s time. We need some space. A break. Really, it’s not you. It’s me. I just need a little time to…cool down. Call me in May. I promise I’ll give you another chance.
I can’t remember when it became clear to me that writing was something I was good at, something no one had to teach me. I learned things, of course, technique and precision, and I found my voice, my own style, which apparently involves borderline run-on sentences and lots of comma splices, but whatever. My point … More It’s Personal
When Daddy and I were babies, Mamaw and Nonna wrote down things about us every week in something called a “baby book.” Things like our first steps and when we started eating peas and bananas and the dates of all our shots. They kept up with them for years. We still have them, and their … More Dear Hayden
A few weekends ago we went to a cookout at the home of one of Trent’s coworkers. As usual, we were the picture of A Family Who Has It Together: I was on the brink of heat exhaustion in the sweater I’d purchased earlier that day and had to wear, not only because it was … More The Right Choice
I read somewhere recently that perpetually reading blogs and other forms of social media, particularly those aimed at women who are in the trenches of family raising, is a good way to “kill your joy.” Okay, it wasn’t just “somewhere.” It was on Facebook. A blog link, in fact, that appeared in my feed because … More Office Space
It is dark, but in the light from the kitchen I can see the cat doing a mad sort of tightrope walk on the metal stair rail that frames the steps leading from the kitchen into the den. His shadow is enormous, looming, but not at all creepy. It’s quite amusing, actually; he is too … More In the light kitchen*
It was summer, and I was small–6 or 7. MaMa left the car running and walked me by the hand into the Prosperity Post Office. We were on our way to the grocery store or some other mundane destination, but time with her was never ordinary, and this was no exception. Stamps were 20 cents … More Remembering MaMa
Thanks to all of you who were so excited about my sudden onslaught of habitual blogging. And also, sorry about it’s equally sudden demise. I am sitting in a rented condo at Cherry Grove Beach in South Carolina, and it is day 6 of 7 of a vacation on which I had planned to blog … More Overheard on vacation
one small corner of the universe 