A Tale of Two Girls

Once upon a time there was a little girl who lived in a beautiful, four-storey home with her mother, her grandmother, her grandfather and her dog, Skipper. The little girl grew up surrounded by love and attention. Her home was the safest place she could think of, and though loved reading and learning at school, …

The Happy

This has been a rough few months for our family. My father-in-law has been struggling with some heart issues. It frustrated him, it frightened us, and it led to about three to five different hospitalizations since August. He has suffered the most and yet been in the best spirits; I've been akin to a sulky teenager, …

On Books and Babies

This month, thirteen years ago, was a season of terror. No, not Halloween. Pregnancy. I was in the final month of my first full-term pregnancy and I was waiting for disaster. There was no way, I thought, this was going to be okay. A long string of English literature classes in college and graduate school …

Fear, Itself

This morning as I was walking into the mall I saw the upper windows over the entrance covered, billboard style, with an enormous ad for Busch Gardens' Howl-o-Scream, a Halloween staple in Tampa. I reflexly reached down next to me to steer Boo away from the view, but as she is now 11 and in middle …

The Difference

Today my soon-to-be-nine-year-old daughter, Critter, asked me in the car if I thought she was a good artist. I replied yes, because I honestly think she has far more artistic talent in her hands than I have in my whole body. Her immediate reaction was, "You're just saying that because you're my mom." I immediately …