The Wink

Never Lose Your Voice

Circumstances, fears, confusion—they’re all authentic, but they aren’t reason enough to give up or go silent. Ask. Explain. Listen. Share. Look. Look twice. Ask again. Press on, because if you don’t, maybe no one will. We all have vastly more power than we know, true injustice is failing to use it. Your voice, evermore yours to use for good.

Stacking Wood

When I was a teenager in Yakima, Washington one of my responsibilities was stacking the cords of applewood we would get for our fireplace. My motivation to stack it was threefold: First—the wood was delivered and dumped in my parking spot. Second—I loved a fire when I watched movies, which was all the time (VHS FTW) Third—Even though [...]

Durable Ribbons

Every once in a while I hesitate about a post. I learned a long time ago that some things, even though they are a part of my life, are not mine to tell. Still,  I’m pretty honest here, though there is an increasing awareness of how proprietary some of this is getting as the girls [...]

My Sweet Chaos

The girls are home. I cried while they were gone. A lot. I walked past their bedrooms trying not to get caught up in the twisted sheets and discarded clothes all wrapped up in their summery scent of cut grass, lake water and cheesey-snack dust. Then the first morning without them came and the room pulled [...]

Lonely

I have three friends suffering right now. Their stories are all distinct, and in truth I don’t know the whole of any of them, but I know enough to see and hear that they are in pain. Family, self, struggle. We all have things that weigh upon us more heavily than they might others, but [...]

Break My Stride

I thought parenting was humbling, the flashes of thinking I’d be able to do it all, the fantasies of avoiding the ruts, the memories of choices my parents made that I questioned. Six years on the doing side of parenting and I realize how often we have to react as opposed to decide, that even [...]

Maybe it will

We were gathered on the porch waiting for Sean to come home. My hair was dancing around my face in a neener-neener-it’s-humid halo and my feet were grubby and battered from puttering barefoot all morning. My arms were wrapped around my knees as I leaned back into the bench watching them. Three stair step heads, [...]