A Shit-Show Filled With Possibilities — I didn’t watch the Oscars. I don’t watch the news. And yet, I heard about the fiasco that completely eclipsed the 2022 Academy Awards and every incredibly remarkable story of the evening that I should have heard about instead. I Youtubed the clip, to see for myself. About a minute…

And I want that written on my tombstone. — I am the luckiest woman on the planet. I don’t say that to brag. Nor to be funny. Nor to attract attention. I say it as fact, because I believe it to be true. I live in exactly the house I would choose if I could choose any house I…

And I’m Working on #4 — I’m crying today. I woke up in a foul mood with my back on fire. I dumped yesterday’s coffee grounds all over the counter because I couldn’t be bothered to empty the green bin and really believed I could squeeze in one more thing. I put one contact lens in…

Remembering that time the world stopped for a moment to show us its wonder. — One of my favourite experiences as a mom of five was The Cleaning of the Bedrooms. For years, I spent one Saturday after another with my butt parked on a stripped twin bed, directing the cleaning, disinfecting, and rearranging of one of my kids’ rooms. …

Red Light or Yellow? There’s a difference, and it’s a big one. — Not to be confused with the panic of immediate threat to life and limb, nor with the anxiety and paranoia that accompany so many debilitating mental illnesses, fear — the kind of dread that stops us from stepping forward into an unknown future — is one powerful emotion. I have…

What I Got Out of It Is Worth What It Cost Me — Two years ago, despite my best efforts, which, admittedly were never that great to being with, I had to admit defeat, swallow my reservations, and place my mom in a Long-Term Care facility. Luckily for me, Mom didn’t quite understand that LTC in today’s vernacular meant nursing home in hers…

And enjoy the process! — As the stay-at-home-mother of five kids, keeping the house in order was something I was either winning or losing. There was no in between. My husband had sculpted a family team when it came to the house. With seven of us, everyone had to be all in for chores. Dad’s…

Even though she has Down syndrome. — We were at the school’s open house. The gym was packed full of parents and grandparents watching raptly as a select few of our children braved their way up onto the stage to perform whatever little entertaining skill they’d worked so hard to perfect. …

My friend’s mother is going to die tomorrow. A little after nine o’clock in the morning. And I haven’t got a clue how to feel. I am a very close friend of her son and his family; we have shared in each others’ weddings, children, and lives for more than…