Family
The Rift That Will Not Mend–When Adoptions Fail
This week the news networks were filled with stories of the “mother” who sent her adopted son back to Russia, unaccompanied by anybody except flight attendants and the child’s own distress and sense of failure. Her action was wrong, plain and simple. No child deserves that treatment. No flight attendant deserves or should accept that kind of responsibility. And…
Read MoreThe Kindness of Strangers
My husband is about to go on sabbatical. This is one of the perks of his profession, a chance to study and think for months every so many years. He’s done some wonderful things; we’ve done some wonderful things together, but I’ve always written while we’ve been away. There are no sabbaticals for writers. We…
Read MoreThe Way it Should Be–the Joys of Parenthood
I have the greatest admiration for any single mom or dad. Raising children with two parents is difficult. Raising children alone? Anyone doing this deserves all our support. Take Mama Bird, for instance. Remember those babies in the boot from my photo last weekend? Unformed little critters who barely resembled birds? Now look. One…
Read MoreSmall Blessings–the joys of spring and motherhood
Wondering about the eggs in the boot from a couple of blogs ago? Wondering what kind of bird fits inside a boot to lay so many perfect tiny eggs? Wonder no more. Mama Bird’s a Carolina wren, and very conscientious. The babies are alive and well, although we hope they eventually begin to look more…
Read MoreMother’s Day–another excuse to be happy
Some words are loaded with emotion. “Mother” is one of them. If you’re reading this, you had a mother, whether you knew her or not, loved her or not, appreciated her or not. Some of you may have recently lost your mother. Some of you may just have found her. Some of you may by…
Read MoreChristmas. . . and beagles
Nemo came to live with us two summers ago. We had always had dogs, but after finally losing two old friends, we decided to take a break. As much as we missed Kiwi and Dingo, there was something nice about just locking the door and walking away when we wanted to visit children or travel. …
Read MoreThe Lull
We all feel it, that all too brief lull between holidays. Our Thanksgiving turkey is now a challenge we serve as hash, or homemade pot pies, or even altered beyond recognition into mouth-watering gumbo. The family who traveled for hours to visit has gone home, and our houses are dusty around the edges, with new scratches…
Read MoreWe Gather Together
I hope wherever you are for the Thanksgiving holiday, whatever you eat, whatever your personal celebrations, that you spend it with people you love, and you find a way to tell them so.
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