I picked Maggie up from school, and she hopped in the car with the same vigor she'd expressed every other day that week. She immediately asked me for a snack and settled into her seat, humming a tune. I had no reason to suspect she'd had anything but a completely pleasant day, right? "Maggie, how... Continue Reading →
I remember attending my first Twelve Step recovery meeting ever. It was an open meeting, and I attended with a friend. I listened. I learned a lot and felt that even though what people were sharing didn't totally apply to me, there was something warm and familiar about it all the same. I couldn't put... Continue Reading →
This letter was written by Gabrielle Holmes, one of my students, as a tribute to her mother. Dear Momma, I want to let you know how thankful I am to still have you in my life considering all the obstacles we have faced in life. Since Pawpaw died, you have stepped up and really showed me... Continue Reading →
When company’s coming, I normally tidy up the house hurriedly, clearing up clutter quickly. Everything must find its home--James’ smelly socks sitting in the middle of the mudroom floor, Maggie’s tiny pile of clean laundry atop the dining table outside her room, the four coffee cups on the kitchen counter. Even if I don’t have... Continue Reading →
My friend, former coworker, and confidante Debra Dickey wrote today's blog post. I never stop learning from this woman. Thank you, Debra. In my experience, valor is a prevailing and significant part of kindness, faceted, inextricably entwined. Kindness, by definition, is a perfectly generated act; designed especially and wholly specific to its purpose and direction;... Continue Reading →
Recently, one of my friends reached out to me to inform me that she'd been viciously attacked by her boyfriend (now ex). She described the bruises, and she admitted she felt scared for her life. "You were right about him." In the pit of my gut, I winced. There was a time when I reveled in... Continue Reading →
*Today's blog post is a guest post written by my lifelong friend and former neighbor Leslie Ferguson Thomas. I'm always thankful for Leslie's contributions to my blog, but I'm more thankful for her ongoing friendship, her perspective on life, and her willingness to share it. Leslie's husband is currently battling cancer; please keep them in... Continue Reading →
Jane, Jane, Jane, You'll probably kill me for this (or at least you'll want to). I can't stop thinking about writing this letter to you, and when I can't get something off my mind, I take action. I think you know this about me, so I'm pretty sure you'll forgive me even though you don't... Continue Reading →
I pulled into the driveway of my close friend’s small brick house one autumn afternoon, the air thick and humid, stuck in transition from summer heat. She wasn’t home, but her neighbors’ kids ran and yelled at one another in the front yard next door, enjoying their first few moments of freedom after school. I jiggled... Continue Reading →
Dear Rhonda, Thank you for helping me find my house. I resisted liking that house since it was more my ex-husband's preference than mine. You might even say that I resented that darn house for a long, long time, actually. Slowly but surely, the longer I lived in it (particularly the longer I lived in it... Continue Reading →
Gratitude Cup 