We Dare
How dare we encourage children to play on the earth’s thin crust beneath which molten lava churns and cracked plates shift and trees—tacked down by roots like those belonging to rotten teeth—drop widowmaker branches upon the drive where my children
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
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
Finding Treasure in the Depths of Parenting
My husband took a picture of me and our girls last night as we ate S’mores on a bench down by the creek. Afterward, I looked at it, then I looked at it again. Their long hair and legs, their
The Day I Lost My Daughter
Two months ago, I lost my toddler-age daughter. Even now, sitting outside and staring out over the field where she disappeared, it’s difficult for me to process. It’s like I know if I begin peeling back layers, the emotion of that
Love Is Not Love . . .
On Saturday, imbibed with joie de vivre, which always comes with spring weather, I asked my husband for a hammer and some finishing nails. Our girls followed me around. The seven-year-old asked, "What're you doing?" "I'm about to revolutionize this house." "What
How Many Petersheims Does it Take to Launch a Novel?
Five, to be exact. I became an author soon after I became a mother, and one of my goals was to make my writing part of my family’s life. This is why I write at the kitchen table instead of in
How the Light Gets In Vacation Getaway!
Hey there, friends! I've been sitting on a surprise for a while now, and if you know me at all, you know I am not too good at being quiet or sitting still! Well, now I finally get to reveal that surprise!
Looking for Your Next Book Club Read? Try How the Light Gets In!
Hey there, friends! We are getting so close to the March 5th launch of my newest novel, How the Light Gets In! If you are looking for your next book club read, try out this story! Write-Read-Life had this to say about How