Spring Snow

Spring in the Pacific Northwest is a glorious thing. Every tree, plant, and flower blooms in a cacophony of glory, life, and brilliance in every color of the rainbow. All of these beautiful trees and bushes sport various shades of green throughout the year so it is a lovely surprise when a red or purple…

Do You Hear What I Hear…

I’ve been thinking a lot about communication. Or lack thereof. ‘Tis the season when I often hear from friends and relatives who I may not have heard from the other eleven months of the year. Yet it’s good to hear from them in the twelfth month and catch a glimpse of what’s been happening in…

We Don’t Talk About…

My young grandson has discovered the magic of film with his favorite movie Encanto. A wonderful story of family dynamics, beliefs, history and magic, its signature song We Don’t Talk About Bruno –music and lyrics by the brilliant Lin-Manuel Miranda–is a cautionary tale about ignoring a family member whose magic gift is telling prophecies, often…

Gap Year

Last month thousands of students graduated from high school or college or university or trade school. Any number of educational institutions scattered across the country. I always loved the word “commencement” (what the graduation ceremonies are actually called) because even though it is a ceremony celebrating an ending or an accomplishment or completion, it also…

The Last Two Survivors

The other night over a shared bottle of wine, my husband and I gazed out at an evening heavy with humidity, the sky and air the color of silver and gray. It was completely silent. No birds sang, no creatures rustled in the trees. Utter silence. It was so unusual and eerie that my husband…

Sunflowers in February

As a writer, I think about what words I want to put out into the world every day. My hope is to write something that will make the reader feel uplifted or inspired or think about what I’ve written. When I first started writing this blog seven years ago, I thought I should steer away…