“I Miss You!”
Our eldest daughter is, hands down, the most affectionate child I’ve ever known. If my husband and I are cuddling on the couch, she is not content until she’s dropped everything and sprawled herself across the pile. If we’re hugging
It’s a Wonderful World
After supper, the five of us sat on the couch and watched YouTube videos of famous songs like “It’s a Wonderful World,” “Somewhere over the Rainbow,” and “Annie’s Song” by John Denver, which was the song my husband and I
The Snail Shell of the Soul
I heard a thunk and returned to the kitchen. My two eldest daughters stood at the patio door and stared down at a female cardinal outside on its back. Its large, orange beak opened and closed as snow flurries clung
Who’s Immortal Now?
My husband and I silently sat in our wooden booth, waiting for our breakfast to arrive. It was only 10 o’clock, but we’d been awake for five hours and were still trying to process what the neurosurgeon had said. Though my husband’s
Humans of Tennessee
Three years ago, almost to the day, I purchased two tickets to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra, but my husband ended up needing brain surgery instead. I remember being on the phone for hours, trying to get our tickets reimbursed, like
“I Hated Orange Beach”
Yesterday, my eldest daughter said she hated Orange Beach. I only remembered laughing while zooming down the slide, sitting in the hot-tub to warm up after my daughters and I swam in one of the resort’s chilly pools, or peering into
Unshakeable Faith
I was thirty weeks pregnant with my youngest when my husband came home with my sister-in-law in tow and said she would watch our daughters. I had just settled in for my afternoon writing session and, being routine-oriented to a
Dancing in the Mine Fields
I sat on the porch step with the phone to my ear and stared out at the yard. I didn’t say anything for a moment, because I wasn’t sure how to respond. For weeks, we’d hoped that stereotactic radiosurgery (SRS) could
Enjoy Them While They’re Young
On Saturday, my husband and I left our house a mess and took the girls to the fall festival in town. The cool breeze stripped a few leaves off the trees and sent them scuttling down the sidewalk as we
The Beginning, Again
On Tuesday, at the coffee shop, I noticed a young mom and dad sitting across from each other. The mom scarfed down a sandwich while glancing at the car seat on the table as if the newborn could escape. I loved