From the monthly archives:

December 2007

Happy New Year Carnival of Family Life

The New Year’s festivities are getting underway!

The Letter (Chapter Nine)

It seemed as though they had been sitting in the car for hours. The weight of the topic, her son’s expectations, and her responsibilities bore down on her, making her feel as though she could not breathe and tempting her to simply open the car door and run as far and fast as she could [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Eight)

“Earth to Mom, earth to Mom . . . ” He waved his hand in front of her face in an effort to get her attention. “What, honey?” she asked as if in a daze, finally turning her attention back to him. “Don’t you think we should get going? We’re going to be late,” he [...]

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His Christmas Legacy

They all knew. But none of them would speak of it. It was business as usual. On the surface. By all outward appearances. Perhaps they all thought that if they ignored the elephant in the room, it would eventually turn and go back out the door from whence it came. Life does not work that [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Seven)

“So how did you do?” Dr. Nolan asked cheerfully, but expectantly. “Well, I didn’t write the letter.” She had decided while driving to the therapist’s office to be straightforward, direct, and honest about her progress. “I see,” Dr. Nolan replied matter-of-factly. “Do you want to tell me why?” “I started writing it, but I didn’t [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Six)

“I was worried about you last night.” Her only child was a typical first-born: Responsible, organized, forthright. She was genuinely sorry that she had concerned him. “I’m sorry, honey,” she said as she gave him a good morning hug. “I didn’t mean to alarm you. I just went for some coffee and lost track of [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Five)

She didn’t remember ever feeling so exhausted, drained. As she looked out over the dark lake, illuminated only by the moonlight, she realized that she now understood the expression “tired to the bone” because she was convinced that her body had never felt this devoid of energy. It was, in a surprising way, exhilarating. She [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Four)

How long had she been sitting on the bench overlooking the lake, crying in a way that she had, quite literally, never cried before? When she finally began to compose herself, it was dark. “Dammit,” she muttered, as she searched her bag for a tissue. She could feel her eyelids swelling and her head was [...]

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The Letter (Chapter Three)

The ringing telephone startled her. She had been so deep in thought, remembering that night all those years ago when she first began writing about her life, that it took her a few moments to become acclimated. When she looked down at the blank notepad, she again felt the full weight of Dr. Nolan’s assignment. [...]

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