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  • Unlikely Holy Ground

    I know what I will see in the moments before I die. I may not be in that place physically, or maybe I will, but I am absolutely certain about the image that will come before me at that time. Strange as it may seem, I know I will see one particular metal exit door…

  • Alternate Reality

    Last night at dinner, my son asked if we had ever considered the possibility that each of us was the only person who had ever existed and that everyone and everything else in history was a figment of our imagination. My daughter replied that she hadn’t had that particular thought, but had pondered whether we…

  • Summer of Change

    I am a few days into the Summer of Dread. With one kid at camp and one out working, I feared I would find myself aimless and depressed, and I will battle those demons in these months, to be sure. What I did not know is how a dog would change everything. Back when my…

  • Christians

    In the wake of news that America is seeing a sharp decline in those who call themselves Christian, discussion seems to be centered in two areas: why the faith is not relevant today, and the value of organized religion to our society. Lots of the commenters I’ve read claim this represents a new age of…

  • Mothers

    “And it occurs to me that maybe the reason my mother was so exhausted all the time wasn’t because she was doing so much, but because she was feeling so much.” ~Kelly Corrigan, Glitter and Glue Mothers are bad ass.  I look at the delicate feminine symbols of Mother’s Day with a cynical eye.  Pale…

  • Outer Banks

    In the long, snowy, record-breaking Winter that led up to our Outer Banks vacation, I would often imagine myself on the beach in April. I thought, if I can just make it through the cold and snow, I’ll be rewarded there. I imagined myself flat on my back in what I hoped would be hot…

  • My dog, the teenager

    My dog, the teenager. I have had a dog for almost two weeks, and I am trying to reconcile the nature of our relationship. I’m not my dog’s Mom, certainly, but there are elements of Mom-ness that I must incorporate into our exchanges so that everything in the house runs smoothly. Being the mother means…

  • Connected

    I got to music class early and set up my iPod dock first thing, as I always do.  As the children came in, I was prepared and ready.  I pressed play and within six seconds, the song abruptly shut off.  “You need to charge it!,” yelled one of my students.  Little kids are so technologically…

  • Pineapple, orange soda, chicken salad

    I rounded the corner of the produce aisle, almost done with my hectic Christmas food shopping trip when I felt my mother. She was pointing me toward a display of whole pineapples and urging me to bring one to the family gathering on Christmas Day. I have learned to listen to that still, inner voice,…

  • Threads

    Last night, I dreamed that a car took me to a home I haven’t visited in years. As I walked to the door, I was unsure of why I was even there, but I was greeted and ushered inside by friends with lots of love and care. The children inside the house had not aged…