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
Love: An Investment of Time
One of the traits that endears my husband to me the most is his love for planting trees. When we first got married, we lived in an apartment adjacent to our grocery store with a highway running past and a
The Reluctant Minimalist
My daughters and I moved to Tennessee with a suitcase each. My husband was scheduled to come a week later with the rest of our things, but by the time he arrived, I had already gotten settled and didn’t want
Watching the World Go By
“Hey, Honey,” the cashier said. “Got any plans for the weekend?” I was so caught off-guard, I almost laughed. “This is my second weekend here.” She smiled. “Oh, you like it?” I explained that I was actually returning to Tennessee after living in
Life’s Non-linear Adventure
It’s 9:37 on a Saturday night, and I’m confined to my toddler’s bedside, which is actually my bedside, because she declares she is scared of the new nursery. Whenever I glance over at her by the light of the computer screen,
Going the Distance
Barn swallows are writing invisible calligraphy in the azure sky, and the unglaciered hills in the distance are brilliant, summer green. Hummingbirds are sipping nectar from the purple flower baskets hanging from the eaves. An abandoned windmill, in the next
Why We’re Moving Back
Today, Father’s Day, seems the appropriate time to write that our family is moving back to Tennessee, because the reconciliation of family is what’s driving this return. Before we moved to Wisconsin in November 2014, I stood in the carport with
An Unexpected Gift
There is a sense of detachment—almost timelessness—about our new homeplace in the Driftless Region of Wisconsin. I used to have stress dreams about Ebola, but now I have stress dreams about getting my wash in off the line before it
Marriage: Handle With Care
This week, I thought I became a widow. My husband and father-in-law were outside, jacking up the shipping container holding almost all our worldly possessions, when I heard a tremendous crash. I was in the midst of packing my closet, and
A Sign To A Woman Who’s Given Up On Signs
Somewhere between graduating from college and giving birth to my first child, many of my life’s questions were answered, and so I stopped searching the cosmos for signs. If the light turned green before I had to tap my brake, it