Memory, family & personal essays
Decluttering the Bookshelves (or: Letting Go Without Guilt) At some point in midlife, you realize your bookshelves are less a reading record and more an archaeological dig. There are the books you loved, the books you meant to love, and the books you bought because Reese Witherspoon told us to. Add in the “I’ll read…
When Traditions Change She used to wake us at 6 a.m. to open her Advent calendar. Now she wakes in another house, a toddler in one hand and coffee in the other. My oldest once loved every breath of December from decorating the tree, Christmas Eve French toast, to driving in pajamas to see neighborhood…
Set the Tone for Your Day Are you craving slower mornings and more intentional rhythms throughout your week? Here’s a simple but powerful daily and weekly habit system that helps you feel grounded, fulfilled, and connected—all without burnout. Inspired by Atomic Habits by James Clear and The Compound Effect by Darren Hardy, these routines are…
“Be not afraid of grandparenting. Some are born grandparents, some achieve grandparenting greatness, and some have grandparenting thrust upon them.”— (Paraphrased from Shakespeare, with a wink!) For many of us, it’s “on the job” training. Fortunately, babies start small, with low expectations and big hearts. At first, it’s simple: feeding, rocking, changing diapers, and supporting…
The Best Care Packages for Young Adults: What to Send (and What They’ll Actually Use) Somewhere between “first dorm drop-off” and “post-grad apartment with mismatched dishes,” young adults still need a little love from home. I always think of 84, Charing Cross Road, that slim, perfect book of letters between Helene Hanff in New York…
From peanut brittle traditions to college roommates, explore the power of enduring friendships through every season of life. Inspired by The Five-Star Weekend by Elin Hilderbrand. A. I Title: The Peanut Brittle Pact: What Enduring Friendships Teach Us About Midlife Meta Description: From nursing school hallways to swim meet bleachers, the friends who walk through…
Explore the nostalgic domestic rituals and simple joys of home life that modern kids and grandkids may never experience – from handwritten recipes to line-dried sheets. After rereading Cheaper by the Dozen and marveling at how different my childhood was from that of the Gilbreth clan (and from my own kids’), I started to think…
