Family
This Saturday in April
As much as I like to read other people’s newsletters, I’m not so great about getting one of my own out each month. Which is why I switched to a quarterly newsletter, but even then, I didn’t prioritize writing it. Like many authors, I want to spend my time writing books, not newsletters. But many…
Read MoreOn the Occasion of What Would Have Been Her Seventy-Ninth Birthday
Dear Mom, Today you would have turned seventy-nine! In an ideal world, you’d still be alive and mostly healthy (or as healthy as a person of that age can be, which is pretty healthy). I’d call you up, ask chat with you for a while, wish you Happy Birthday, and maybe send some flowers. Dad…
Read MoreTwenty-Two: Make It Up As You Go Along
Dear Zoe and Talia, Several months ago, I wrote “Twins Birthday Letter” in my planner so I wouldn’t wait until the last minute to sit and write to you. I’m happy to report that I began this post six days earlier than I have the last two years, though it remains to be seen if…
Read MoreThe Great Barometer
Mom didn’t like talking about menstruation, but she did tell me at least one thing: If you’re lucky enough to have a regular cycle, chart it so you won’t be taken unawares. I’m sure she didn’t specifically use those words (Mom would never say “taken unawares,” but that’s what came to mind when I sat…
Read MoreSee You at the Library!
I am so pleased to say I’ll be speaking at Wright Memorial Library in Oakwood, Ohio, on Thursday, September 21. That’s two weeks from today and World Alzheimer’s Day. On that night, I’ll give a behind-the-scenes look at my second novel, The Weight We Carry, which showcases the toll that navigating parents’ health crises can…
Read MoreBaby Birds
Tim and I have never had just one child at home. We went from two adults and two cats to two adults, two cats, and two children in (what seemed like) the blink of an eye. As the years went by, the number of cats changed (and a dog was added and subtracted and added…
Read MoreSorry, We’re Closed
If there’s one thing I’m really good at, it’s turning inward and shutting people out. The behavior isn’t to punish the other person because I’m holding a grudge—it’s to allow me time to make sense of my surroundings and the information that’s overwhelming me. It’s my thinking time, my time to plan an attack, my…
Read MoreOn the Occasion of What Would Have Been Her Seventy-Eighth Birthday
Dear Mom, I haven’t written a birthday letter to you before. Last year, I reflected on your birthday, and I’m glad I did. It was the last we spent with you. I didn’t know it then, of course, but with dementia (as with so many things in life), anything could happen at any time. This…
Read MoreThree Years Ago Today
Three years ago today, I bundled Dad in the car and drove to pick up Mom from where she lived at the time. I looked at Mom and told her we were going on a road trip. That our destination would be a good one. That she’d have a better life. She smiled at me…
Read MoreLife Lessons from Mom
When I stand in front of the classroom, I always tell my new crop of students two things: I talk way too fast—and I know it—and I get the hiccups often. The same would probably apply here if I were to read this aloud, and today, I give you one more warning—I might not make…
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