Do you wish you were a creative person? Here’s a little secret – You already are a creative person. Creativity may come a bit more easily or naturally to some people, but with effort, anyone can develop their creativity. Creativity applies to so many areas of life. You can learn to think in more divergent…
Our neighborhood library closed a few weeks ago. It made me sad. No worries, the brand new one that was built to replace it is huge, light-filled, and amazing. But, the library that closed was the library of my children’s childhood, so our last visit there before it closed was a bit sad. Even a little…
Getting older often (usually, hopefully) means getting wiser. (To that, my wisecracking son would say, “Wow, Mom, then you must be really wise by now.” He would probably follow that up with, “But you look young for your age, usually.”) I’ve shared many of the following thoughts with my kids as they grew up….
The magic of a little child’s brain is one of the most exciting things on this earth, isn’t it? The thoughts hidden inside those cute little heads, behind those big eyes are amazing. My kids had really vivid imaginations when they were small. (They still do.) My daughter, now 21, (update, now 26!), lived in…
At my house, we are baseball fans, as in the longer version of that word–fanatics. (Except for my daughter. She hates baseball. Really. She hates it. We have a video of her as a baby, sitting in her little pumpkin seat as we watched baseball on television. “She’ll probably love baseball too,” I said on the…
” A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for.” Linking to: Create with Joy Claire Justine Harriet and Friends Dominique’s Desk
In the fall of 1990, I spent a good deal of time on the sofa, nursing my firstborn, and was so intent on becoming a good mom that I read parenting books like mad as I sat there– mentally filing away some info and discarding as much. (I would also rock that little bundle…
Ever since my 19 year old daughter was tiny, she has said that she wished we had an apple tree, or a peach tree, or a (fill in the blank) tree. I always told her that trees take so long to grow, it would be too long before we could reap the benefits. So…we never…
Every year, spring itself is like a huge surprise to me. After a long, gray winter, I’m always surprised at how stunning the bright green grass looks, and how breathtaking the sun looks, streaming through leaves. After many years of this, it seems that feeling wouldn’t happen, but it always does. More sun and more…
I walk fast. All the time. When my daughter and I are shopping, she always has to remind me that, “Mom, my legs are shorter than yours.” As a matter of fact, I do a lot of things quickly. Sometimes it reveals my underlying stress, sometimes not. This morning, I was bustling around, quickly. My…
In my family history, there seems to be a genetic tendency to be obsessed with photography. My dad loved it, and he inspired me. One of my sisters still shoots film, and while her style is much different than mine, her candid shots of family events capture memories that would otherwise be missed. (And, if…
Several days ago, I came across a stack of letters I had written to my parents years ago. My mom had saved them, and when she passed away, I brought them home. Some of the letters were from my college years, from dorm room 543 in Centennial Hall. The letters often began with “I’m sorry I…