I’m at the coffee shop, waiting for my order next to the pickup counter.There is a sign posted with bold, black letters: “Take What you Need.” On the tear-off tabs below — where phone numbers would be if it were a sign for a lost...
“When I grow uuuuuup…” Ella and Emma sang a popular song from the musical "Matilda" (based on Roald Dahl’s book by the same name) as they pumped their legs in unison on the swing set. “I will be smart enough to answer all the questions that you need to...
Ella and I were past the surf, floating on the calm part of the ocean as it gently lifted and lowered our brightly colored tubes. A family of four was splashing nearby on a large inner tube designed to look like a donut with sprinkles.The youngest child...
“Imagine that it’s the last day you have on earth,” the quote began. “The person you became meets the person you could have become…” I was curled on the couch reading from an inspirational quote book I found on my in-laws' coffee table. I understood the motivational...
Recently, Ella asked me what kinds of things I got for Christmas when I was little. I thought for a moment, trying to remember details of childhood Christmas mornings. Reflecting on cozy family times, I realized I don’t recall what was inside most of those wrapped...
There’s a parable I once heard about three fish. It goes something like this: There are two young fish happily swimming along, and they happen to meet an older fish swimming the other way. The older fish says, “Hello! How is the water today?” The two...
It’s not quite the darkest day of the year, but you could have fooled me. As I drove the girls to school, the sky was dark and cold and silent. A hazy fog swirled in front of the windshield. As I followed the familiar path, I knew...
Sometimes pastry crusts will collapse despite your best and most careful efforts. This was the frustrating realization I had last week when I was trying to prepare some mini apple pies for Thanksgiving. I had attempted to partially bake the crusts, as the recipe directed,...
One of our favorite restaurants in Phoenix is next to a sweet shop the chef also owns. The sweet shop is charming, with bins of old-fashioned candies, a glass case full of fresh baked goods and homemade ice cream made with local cream. A chalkboard behind...
Nine people showed up for the free ukulele class. There were four kids and five adults – zero who knew the first thing about a ukulele. The instructor gave us each a ukulele appropriate for our size, showed us how to position the instrument in...