personal essays

words with you
These words seem so simple that at first glance, I simply nod and move on, almost missing their significance. Most days, I skim through other people’s lives and spaces online, admiring their glimmers of perfection, while
for the moment
If I’m honest, there are days I wish I weren’t homeschooling. I imagine someone else taking responsibility for my children’s education, relieving me to my own work. I would be able to workout regularly and
moving forward
The deep parts of my life pour onward, as if the river shores were opening out. – Rainer Maria Rilke Everyday we move, shifting our things from box to home. Like new lovers, we fumble around
bits of home
Between the time change last weekend, our absent children, and this move, the last week has been disorienting and awkward, especially online. We’ve been restoring and repairing our home as we’ve been moving in, and
white paint.
Our current home–the one my sister and brother-in-law willingly shared with us these last 10 months, the one we’ll be leaving next week–is currently littered with unfolded clothing and boxes, like a war zone. We’ve
our new home: the desecrated becoming sacred
Wendell Berry once wrote, “There are no unsacred places; there are only sacred places and desecrated places.” I couldn’t help mulling these words as we walked through our new property this weekend, laden with disrepair
words with you
I am a fairly risk-adverse person. I tend more often to stick with what I know and with whom and where I am comfortable. When it comes to decision-making, I’m fairly analytical and calculated, although
on limitations and thanksgiving
As a parent, some days seem impossible. My children whine and bicker with one another and with me, refusing generosity and kind words for that ubiquitous I-my-me. They grumble about their work and wish their day
instructions for living
Instructions for living a life. Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it. ― Mary Oliver, Something I’ve been thinking about this poem lately, a timely reminder for me to slow down and pay attention to the ordinary