You’d think I was used to being the new kid. By the time I entered third grade, I had attended three different schools and lived in four different states. The last move was the second in eighteen months. I struggled to make friends because all my eight-year-old…
“Higher!” I cried. “Hold tight!” Leaning in, my hands grasping his, my dad pushed me up as I balanced my little four-year-old body against his feet. I giggled, and he laughed as he stretched his legs as far as they would go. “I’m flying!” I looked down…
Nothing shakes the foundation of our lives like experiencing pain. I don’t mean the stub-your-toe-and-a-bad-word-might-slip-out kind. I’m talking about the gut-wrenching, life-altering, never-the-same-again, questioning-all-you-know variety. The visit to the doctor. The…
The sky filled with dark, billowing smoke. My car sped closer as I realized the smoke rose from the direction of my house. Not again, my soul whispered. Logic told me it was just a controlled burn, a way to manage the density of trees & shrubs and restore new…
There’s a ratty old hoodie I occasionally think about throwing away. The cuffs are stained with bleach. The sleeves no longer reach my wrist. More than once, a kind soul points out the small stain just right of the zipper. I’m quick to explain its origin…