Life
Thank You, Podcast Host, for Helping Me Take My Mental Health Seriously
Had you asked me a few years ago if I’d categorize myself as an overly anxious person in need of mental health therapy, I would have said no. Sure, life’s twists and turns tripped me up and tackled me at times, but I didn’t truly believe the state of my own mental health needed to…
Read MoreA Night at the Library
If you look up the word “introvert” in the dictionary, my picture should be there. It’s not. But it should be because I am one of the most introverted people (at least from my perspective). My need to rest and recharge—alone—is so great, I could easily move away from my family for a bit of…
Read MoreLife Lessons at Trader Joe’s
Grocery stores and the people inside don’t know how special they are to me. Honestly. My experiences at grocery stores are legendary! Okay, well, not legendary, but one encounter led to a moment of human connection and another to a novel. And those are just the moments I wrote about. But as my family will…
Read MoreEven More Words for the New Year 7
Well, friends, we’ve had another interesting year, have we not? Here we are, two years into this pandemic, a year past vaccinations began, and we’re still hearing complaints about mask usage and vaccine mandates. We’ve proven that vaccines work (if you’re vaccinated, you might get a breakthrough case, but it looks like you won’t be…
Read MoreDiagnosis: Annoyed
Sometimes it’s hard to believe that we’ve been hearing about COVID-19 for two years. It’s even more impossible, in my opinion, to think that we’re still arguing over the effectiveness of masks and vaccines, but that’s for another post. Today’s post begins with the time when we were in lockdown, how nice and healthy my…
Read MoreThe Treat Yourself and Your Family Giveaway!
I’m thrilled to be partnering with seven other Black Rose Writing authors with this holiday giveaway! Why not treat yourself or a loved one this month to a new story or two? One lucky winner has the chance to win eight ebooks that span the genres. In fact, there’s something for everyone in this free…
Read MoreAre You Out There?
Years ago in graduate school, I discovered the wonder of Dar Williams. All of her songs resonate with me on some level, but the lyrics from one song in particular have stayed in my head for years. That song? “Are You Out There?” In it, Dar questions if someone can hear her and mentions that…
Read MoreAlways a Teacher
Her name is tucked between those of two friends in the acknowledgment section of my debut novel. If you don’t know to look for it, you might miss it. But I know her name is there. Diane Dougherty and I met only once in person over twenty years ago on one of my first visits…
Read MoreLucky Us
Twenty years ago, only a week and a half after 9/11, I made my way to my first ultrasound. Since this was my first pregnancy, and everything had been progressing as it should, my ultrasound had been scheduled for 19 weeks, almost halfway through the pregnancy. Thanks to the events that occurred earlier in September,…
Read MoreTalking to the Animals
When the girls were around six months old (or maybe a bit younger), one of Tim’s fellow graduate students bought them an extra large Pooh Bear. By extra large, I simply mean he outranked them by quite a bit. (Pooh never outweighed them, but he certainly stood taller, since on his back paws, Pooh stands…
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