Three quickies: 1. The people in this room aren’t just family and friends. Everyone in this room is a former or future CVICU patient. As someone who is conservatively a good 15 pounds heavier than they should be, I am willing to be annoying by saying that everyone in this room is or will have […]
There has been far too much death, illness, injury and loss in the social and IRL community that surrounds me lately. In every instance, people have swarmed to support those in need. Then, they slowly drifted to other places where they felt more needed. I’m going to tell you a secret about women. When there […]
The mood in the flood zone is shifting from survival to exhaustion. Everyone started with white flags waving for the media to notice that there was more happening than celebrities cheating on spouses. Victims gave status updates while their cyber friends acted as clearing houses for emergency resources. Resources trickled in and the media noticed […]
While sitting cross legged on the floor, a toddler spontaneously sat down in my lap. A tiny, non-verbal, little person who didn’t weigh a thing thought I looked like a comfy chair. I didn’t even get to say hello before his mother snatched him up and screeched, “Stranger!” She dragged him away lecturing about strangers […]
If you spend an hour talking to anyone who works in social services, the subject of meth will somehow work its’ way into the conversation. Between that and the presence of meth in the local news, I imagine that I am surrounded by meth labs, dealers and users who are still functioning well enough to […]
After almost twenty years with a child who doesn’t fit the mold and that same amount of time spent advocating, I get tired. It is exhausting to constantly explain to those who don’t want to understand. It makes your bones hurt to have obstacles and insults hurled at you daily. It is draining to trudge […]
When the familiar name and face took the stage in the intimate auditorium, I felt a rush of fan-girl adrenalin. I clicked to his IMDB profile and tried to silently explain the significance of the speaker to the 13-y-o. The 13-y-o looked blankly at the credits that meant nothing to him. I clicked to the […]
A few weeks ago, I spent an afternoon at the pediatric dentist. Based on the crowd in the waiting room, the staff was working with a full schedule of small, wiggly children. My personal goal was to keep Evan calm and cooperative. Sitting still is not his forte. In short time, we were called back […]
When I expressed my disappointment at the behavior of Smart Girl Media, my DC brother quipped that I live in the “heart of the heart of it.” That makes me sad. My Tennessee is mountains, valleys, rivers and forests. It is beautiful and filled with good people. The Tennessee that I know and I love […]
I realize that when I write about something as controversial as laundry I risk comments from the comprehension impaired, but I’m all about edgy topics like household chores. Aaaanyway, as I’ve said before, we have color-coded baskets for dirty laundry. The white basket is for whites. The bright green basket is for brights. The navy […]