There is no question that I am the unadventurous sibling. I’ve mentioned my sister? The one who is living in Jerusalem for the year, with her two daughters, ages 5 and 3? Yes, that one. Apparently many boarding school teachers spend their sabbaticals reading books in a hammock at their lake house. Not so my [...]
I still don’t quite have words to fully describe our experience in Jerusalem. I recommend Hilary’s reflections, and in lieu of any writing, offer some photographs. My sister Hilary and I and our families by the Dome of the Rock. We went to the Temple Mount twice, and both times I was moved by a [...]
Before we went to Jerusalem, I had an exchange with my friend Aidan about how mothers universally doubt themselves. This is simply and inherently part of the terrain, she said, and I agree. But for days after our conversation I found myself thinking about those moments – rare, but important – where I have trusted [...]
Last week I read Amy at Never True Tales’ words on The Witching Years. She writes about the years that her children were young, with a combination of regret, loss, gratitude and wonder that I recognize intimately. It’s clearer here, on the other side. In the light. With kids who brush their own teeth and [...]
We are off today to visit my sister and her family in Jerusalem. It is Grace and Whit’s first trip out of the country, and an adventure for all of us. I plan to truly soak up our time there, which would already be holy simply because it’s my whole family together, but is made [...]
My commitment to simplifying this holiday is significant. And it has paid off: the Christmas cards are mailed, the gifts are all bought, though not all wrapped, the tree is up. Still, I adore Christmas and its traditions, and have some small annual rituals. There are a few things we do every year. Whit has [...]
Thanksgiving was full of experiences that carried the mantle of important, moments I could feel turning to memories even as I lived them. Most of all there was our Friday evening celebration of my in-laws’ 45th wedding anniversary and the 9th anniversary of my father-in-law’s successful heart transplant. My in-laws had their three sons and [...]
Thanksgiving. I am thankful for so much that I sometimes feel gratitude like a swell in my chest, pressing on me from the inside out. And yet, there is still so much here I do not understand (Adrienne Rich). Loved ones circle around tables and take time to consider that which matters most, the world [...]
If you want your children to be intelligent, read them fairy tales. – Einstein I just adore this quote. Putting aside for a minute my essential belief that raw intelligence is innate, I agree with everything that Einstein means with this single beautiful sentence. Why? For lots of reasons. Fairy tales are where the archetypes [...]
A vampire and Anakin Skywalker Halloween through the years: 2010 2009 2008 2005, 2006, and 2007 Email this post
