Most everyone can point to an early friendship that forever shaped them. Besides my sisters, my earliest friends were Briony and Stacy....

Somewhere around age 40 I started to read the texts on my cell phone or the small print in my Bible like a trombone player. I would slide...

One of the first lengthy English paragraphs that our African-born son (sort of) memorized was the Pledge of Allegiance. All last...

I have an app on my phone that sends me a “Word of the Day” every morning around 8:00 am. For the most part, I’m already familiar with...

There are some mornings when it doesn’t pay to get out of bed. Take this morning, for instance. I killed a wasp in my bathroom. Getting...

I feel sick. The constant news cycle. The pictures and videos. The soundbites. The unequivocal, unapologetic, urgent call for hatred of...

Sending your kindergartener to school for the first time can cause an overwhelming flood of emotions. Sad, because he’s growing up too...

I have the fortunate distinction of being the middle of three daughters. I can find the fortune in it now that I am an adult with healthy...

Every year or so I get that home renovation itch. Sometimes the itch gets scratched with a couple cans of paint, but there are other...

One of my 15-year old daughters just passed her “knowledge test” (a.k.a. driver’s permit test). Now comes the hard work of teaching her...

Being a parent can feel like déjà vu sometimes. You get to experience some of the same things again but from a different perspective. For...

I’m always surprised at what plant life is capable of. After our week-long vacation at the end of June, we returned home to a veritable...

Beach vacation objectives can vary greatly, person to person. For some, the highlight is a sunset stroll along the shore. For some, the...

There are times when this thought runs through my mind: “I am killing it at this Mom Thing.” I make healthy meals. I sign up for PTO...

Yesterday my 15-year old daughter approached me in the hallway of our home and asked me a question. With utmost sincerity and concern,...

Several years ago, my family took a trip to Historic Charleston, South Carolina. For those in our family who are history buffs, it was...

When our Congolese son Ezra came to live with us—me, my husband, our twin daughters, and our older son Knox—he entered a family who...

This morning, as I was walking around the back of the house after watering my flowers, I spied a lonely Cozy Coupe sitting forlornly by...

Before a recent soccer game, I overheard a conversation between two of my 6-year old son’s teammates. “Where have you been?” a little boy...

The following is a recent conversation with my 6-year old son, a newcomer to the English language: Ezra (from the backseat): Mom, konk...

I’m not sure if I have a superpower, but I’m pretty certain among my superflaws—like Kryptonite to Superman—would be my abysmal lack of...

When my twin daughters were 3-years old, I walked in the dining room (though we called it the “yellow room” because, obviously, it was...

It would be an understatement to say that our 6-year old son Ezra loves soccer. His pet fish is named “Messi” after the Argentinian...

Soon after my husband Brent and I were married, my in-laws treated us to a trip to California. We toured the coast and visited all kinds...