Did you hear my warm hand? — Just curious, Mom. Did you hear me? I lay my hand on you, ever so gently, as a reminder of my love. The slight rise and fall of your chest and the slowed rhythmic tempo of your breath, reassure me of your earthly presence—my brain races. I need you to…

I wouldn’t change anything except for me, so I did — Everything was fine in my marriage until the last 8 hobbling years. Unfortunately, divorce proceedings started in the 25th year of our union. Once finalized, I told people how I was happily married for 15 years, yet married for a decade more than that. And though I found my response…

Quietly accepting negative change — Changing the game is good until it isn’t. A sure way to grind teamwork to a halt is by filling the rule book with caveats, suppositions, addendums, and codicils. Chaos ensues with too many ill-founded guidelines, not enough clarity, and a vision limited to the brain that holds it. Football…

The incident we can’t forget — “We need to hurry, it’s starting any minute!” Did my words sound like a smile as they echoed upstairs? My attempt to be cheery with my heavy heart and bruised brain fell flat. “The incident” changed the trajectory of her life, introduced shame with injustice, and held her feet to…

Work it, girl — “Do you have time for a call?” My body stiffens. I stop what I’m doing and quickly look around my home office to double-check whether or not I am ignoring another fire. Nope, this priority takes the lead. It’s hard being in Florida. I left my mom up north in…

Slow down — The Game of Life — Florida Lottery Match 3 identical amounts, win that amount. I took pictures and forwarded them to my ‘go-to for free advice’ friend. “Am I crazy or did I win?” My pics included the back of the ticket with the instructions. She’s a rocket scientist — in my mind, because she works for…

They figure she’ll give up — Sickness competes with dread to fill my stomach. Gathering all the necessities for the task at hand allows me a delay. I don’t want to do it. Not again. There’s no one else, though. Each time I tackle this chore, resentment builds and constricts my airflow. It’s not the loss…

She revealed an awful truth — Something changed in me that day. Words were uttered that I didn’t see coming, and hadn’t considered yet. I wasn’t ready to hear them. But they came anyway and hit me like lightning — right out of the blue. We happened upon each other. My daughter’s caseworker from DCF —…

Betwixt and between — “I just want to get the hell out of here.” Her pleading eyes lock with mine in a tug-of-war of opposing thoughts. Assisted living, in her generation, equates to being institutionalized. No matter that the spacious room is lovely and bright. …