Why I Appreciate My Spouse
My husband’s been in Wisconsin since Wednesday, and until Friday afternoon, I took great pride in the fact that I could manage just fine without him. My three daughters and I read books, baked muffins, played outside in the cool November
When They Asked What You Wanted to Be
Last winter, the seniors interviewed my firstborn daughter, along with the rest of her kindergarten class. They asked what she wanted to be, and she said a seashell finder. This little poem is my attempt to encourage her to stay
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
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
The Power of Music
Monday morning, fresh from the shower, I opened the vintage music box I’d gotten for Christmas and took out my earrings, then turned the little dial so the music would play. Miss A, my almost four-year-old, watched from her perch
Walking Into a New Year, Side By Side
My mom and I sat on rockers on her and my dad’s front porch, listening to the wet-weather creek rushing by in the darkness. The stars were so clear, it was as if I was no longer near-sighted. Around the
Why I Write
My writer friend, Susan Cushman, who hosted me when I went to Memphis for a television interview and book signing last year, tagged me in a blog series that asks three questions. I hope you enjoy my answers and please
The Story Behind The Midwife
Today, our mail man drove up through the slush on our lane--his white light spinning on top of his teal hatchback--and delivered a box of Advanced Reader Copies of The Midwife. I contemplated writing a post about the experience, which affected