The Wink

3,000 Miles

Even as we boarded the plane I couldn’t quite believe it was happening. We were bound for a West Coast visit, wedged tightly between a triumphant run of deadlines that brought new shades of silver to our hair and the start of school x3. My surprise to be truly on our way almost trumped my [...]

Daisy of my heart

Around Mother’s Day I was given a Gerber Daisy plant. It was something we did for all the moms in the office. They brought instant smiles with their thick green leaves and bright blooms. I took mine home and set it on the window in the kitchen. It was a bright spot in the dust [...]

Can it be?

More shocking than the lines brazenly sending curly cues out from eyes, more surprising than a Goonies 25th anniversary, my children. Three beautiful, boisterous little girls. Set aside the fact that I always imagined that I’d have boys or my assertion after seeing one episode of Kate and Ally that I’d marry, have kids and [...]

Look at me!

Finley and I were in the attic of the garage searching for something when she darted over to a pile of things. “Mama!” she squealed, “Look at me right dere when you are holding me!” Her face is alight as she beams at a large photograph, her tiny finger touching the little form in my arms. “Oh, [...]

Catch it to you

I gave the girls a bath tonight, partly because they were in need and partly because before long they won’t all fit. I love watching the three of them, elbows and knees pointing this way and that, shoulders plastered with slick, wet hair and knotty spines twisting and bending. Their eyes take me back to early [...]

Intentions

I never imagined that I would do things perfectly, shoot, I based the beginning of a novel on how very not perfect I was. I did imagine that I would do things with intent, that I would always have the presence of mind to choose one way over another. I swore back when we first had [...]

Whatever you say

Days go by in such a blur as lunch packing and homework helping bleed into drop-off, meetings and meals. I’m not really complaining, just noting that I am holding on somedays more than I am actually steering. The relay of milestones as Briar reads, Avery tumbles and Finley does it herself makes it more challenging [...]

Shavasana

It was one of those days— biting my tongue when I wanted to respond, stumbling when I needed to soar, snapping when I meant to soften. I called the YMCA to find out about open gym and told Sean I wanted to take the girls. I was going to cleanse the day, smooth away the [...]

Few words

Avery: Mama, remember the day you took me to school and I had my face on your shoulder because it was cold? Me: Yes, baby. Of course I do. Avery: You gave me a kiss to take me through the day but the wind blew it off.

She would have loved it.

Rotary makes me cry. I have, and I am not exaggerating here, cried at 4 meetings. I don’t mean the kind of sarcastic, how is it that I am old enough to be here kind of figurative crying, though there is that. I mean the kind of crying that has me looking around the table with [...]