Merry Christmas and Hallelujah!

christmas.tree

I’m a fan of tradition, especially at Christmas. Some of our traditions are warm, loving and spiritual. And some are downright … um, quirky. Candlelight and Carol service at the church we grew up in Mass family sleepover on Christmas Eve at my mom’s; all the kids (loosely defined these days, as we have a [...]

Blog Action Day: Water

Wristbands for water

Today is Blog Action Day, the purpose of which is to bring awareness to the lack of clean water that kills more people each year than all forms of violence, including war. Blog Action Day 2010: Water from Blog Action Day on Vimeo. The problem: Right now, almost one billion people on earth do not [...]

Empty Nest Countdown: One. Week.

college dorm life

This countdown is getting serious. She leaves in One. Week. What do you do the last week before your last child leaves for college? It’s busy for her as she says goodbye to her friends, packs and cleans her trash pit dumping zone room. Busy for me as I plan the send-off dinner, try to [...]

The Empty Nest Countdown: 20 Days

Elizabeth, now 21, and Sara Ann, now 18 at the lake in 2002.

In 20 days, my youngest daughter, Sara Ann, leaves for college. It’s the most significant life change since I first became a mother in 1988. I’ve been counting down the days, not to be morbid, but because it’s easier for me to process if I’m aware of what is happening. We spent this past weekend [...]

Graduation Days

grad

My youngest child can now: Vote, Buy cigarettes, Get a tattoo, Sign a lease, Get married, Join the military, Be prosecuted as an adult. I hope she does 1 and 5 (but let’s wait a few years for 5), 3 is coming soon, I figure she’ll do 4 in a year or so and hope [...]