loss

Mother, father, child

You made me a mother. From the second I saw the second line, you were mine and I was going to share this world with you. Your daddy stared at me in shock when I told him, and over the two weeks you were with us, we talked about what life would be like with […]

Protect Your Heart

Most of us go through life taking care of others. We make hot soup for our spouse or child when they are sick. We become caretakers for an ailing parent or grandparent. We bring lasagna to our cousin who just had a baby, in a disposable pan so they don’t have to worry about washing […]

Omens

“In order to find the treasure, you will have to follow the omens. God has prepared a path for everyone to follow. You just have to read the omens that he left for you.”- Paulo Coelho, The AlchemistI once found omens fascinating, a fairy-tale-like idea that you never experienced yourself. I looked for them, hoped […]

When the Holidays Hurt

The holiday season is joyful for most, filled with cheer, happiness, reflecting on the past year with gratitude, and looking forward to the coming year with hope, excitement, and the promise of a clean slate. But for some, the impending holidays and new year break open a wound that may have just begun to heal, […]

Yosemite

The world is just so beautiful- AilieCamping in Yosemite National Park requires strict use of the provided bear lockers, as bears are so prevalent food is not safe in your tent or car. I woke in the middle of the night to shouting somewhere nearby, accompanied by a loud banging on one such locker. What […]

Vision Quest

When I would tell people I was going to take a three week road trip without my husband, the most common response (whether said out loud or implied by body language and facial expressions) was, “Why?” The introverts, after I explained my intended path from the Twin Cities to Los Angeles and back, showed excitement […]