A Broken Umbrella
I’m sloshing through this rainy Tuesday in my yellow boots. I carry an enormous blue and white umbrella–big enough to cover at least 5 people.
November 15, 2011
Live With Flair
Enjoy the archive
We Are. . . Family
I’m packing a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child to send to a child I’ll never see and never meet. I tell my daughters to imagine
November 14, 2011
Scatter the Darkness
This morning, my youngest announces that enormous dark birds cover the front lawn. That shroud of winged darkness descends to greedily feed, cracking open whatever
November 13, 2011
Turning the Page at Penn State
I watch with my own eyes how two rival teams come together midfield, kneel, and pray for several minutes while fans watch on in tears.
November 12, 2011
Torn Apart, Water Flows
I’m volunteering in my daughter’s classroom today. Surrounded by flowers, magnifying glasses, and scissors, I’m told I should let the children observe, draw, and then
November 11, 2011
Deep in the Heart of Man
This morning, the neighborhood children call me over to a huge, gaping hole in the earth. Construction workers have dug down so deep, you can
November 10, 2011
Bring More Mothers
This morning, my daughters walk to school holding the hands of another mother. They want to talk to her about everything ranging from new earrings
November 9, 2011
Talking to Penn State Students about the Scandal
Campus feels heavy, quiet, and ashamed. What a strange contrast to the beauty and warmth of this fall day in Happy Valley. It’s as if
November 8, 2011
One Strange Parenting Tip from the Italian Mama (It Works!)
My daughter granted permission to relate the following story: I’m having dinner with the Italian Mama, and I explain how my daughter currently seems to
November 7, 2011
There’s a Child In There
My daughters help rake the leaves into huge piles on the lawn. They use the tree swing to launch up and across the yard, releasing
November 6, 2011