My Child’s Grief Gave Me Permission to Feel
My six-year-old daughter wouldn’t touch the food on her plate. I asked what was wrong, but she shook her head. After clearing the table, I asked her to follow me back to our bedroom. Kindergarten can really wear her out, and
The Resilience of Bees
Saturday night, my husband slept on the floor in the girls’ room because they were afraid of a storm. At 5:30, once the storm had abated, he came back to our bed and said the entire field below our house was under
The Ice Storm
One month ago, a colossal ice storm swept through the southern states, snapping branches that, in turn, snapped powerlines and exploded transformers, knocking millions of people off the grid and forcing them to live as they’d reverted to the nineteenth
Reacting to Fear in a Healthy Way
“The light’s green, you retard!” Stunned, I looked up from my computer into the street. A guy in a gold Chevy 4x4 with its windows down revved his engine again while waiting at the green light. Two political flags blazed from
Life Between Hurricanes
When we arrived on Monday, Orange Beach had just reopened after the intense cleanup following Hurricane Sally. On Tuesday, the Alabama governor declared a mandatory tourist evacuation due to Hurricane Delta churning toward the coast. I was too busy digging for
Ode to a Bygone Era
Growing up, we didn’t have a lot of extra money for vacations, so we would visit state parks, which were free. Our favorite was Lake Barkley in Cadiz, Kentucky. About four times a year we would rent a cabin for
I Am Not Afraid
At the beginning of Covid, people didn’t know what to do with their eyes. We would pass each other in the greenhouse or grocery store (six feet apart, of course), and we would look away as if eye contact alone
How Do We Help Our Children Thrive During Covid?
On the eve of my thirty-fourth birthday, I lay on my daughter’s twin mattress in the living room, surrounded by my three daughters, my best friend, and the little girl she is fostering, and marveled at this world that is
If We Are Going to Come Out of This Whole, We Have to Use This Season to Heal
We planted our garden two weeks ago. Since then, we have had two bouts of frost and a sudden, fleeting flurry of snow. Last evening, while supper baked in the oven, my eldest daughter and I went to check on
How the Light Gets In WINS in NYC!
I almost didn’t attend the 2020 Audie Awards Gala in New York City. The ticket to the event at Guastavino’s in Manhattan would cost as much as the trip itself. And we’re building a house and raising three daughters whose