Kidspeak
A picture rang into one of my text threads—not just any picture, a cute one. My friend Toni’s twenty-two-month-old grandson—his name is Shipley—held his brand-new baby sister Poppy in his…
Mile-for-mile
I ran a half marathon. You don’t believe me? Ok. I kind of ran a half marathon. Still don’t believe me? Let’s try this: my daughter Kristen ran a half…
The color of love
The color gray is not my friend. I come home from the salon with a new head of color, and three days later those merciless grays start sneaking back. OK.…
Christmastime
At Christmastime, I think of stairs. My brothers and I danced in our pajamas at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning. When our parents finally waved the green…
Christmas Pictionary
At a Christmas party last week, we played Christmas Pictionary. Christmas Pictionary would be great fun; it would be the perfect holiday game—if it did not require drawing. I don’t…
Running on fumes
When Dad spoke, I listened. He said, “Study, study, study” and “Don’t be a clock watcher at work” and “When I say jump, you say how high” and “Don’t take…
Beatrice Mary Patricia
December 1st is a holiday. A family holiday. My baby brother’s birthday. I don’t know why we get excited about this particular birthdate. After all, the person our family celebrates…
The art of lying
Not long ago, I babysat for Sophie, a five-year-old girl who had missed a couple of days of school due to a bad cold. Her symptoms had subsided when her…
