Back to school reading for grownups. By the time a woman is thirty, she has experienced loss, most likely. It's true for men too, I'm sure, but in Letters For Scarlet, a book about grief, friendship, grace, and courage, the losses are felt most keenly through the eyes of … [Read more...]
The Parents’ Phrase Book
It's been a while since I read a parenting book. I mean, come on. I'm a pro at this now, right? When we have our babies, we stock up on the guides and the girlfriends' advice and the blogs and the calendars. We look out for the developmental milestones and we compare … [Read more...]
When Your Move-a-Body Friend Is the Body
2010, Granada Hills, CA On the night of Lisa's funeral, we gathered at her house, the other Notre Dame '93 gals and I. Lisa, Lisa, Suzanne, and Julie (yes, there were three Lisa's, once.) We drank her liquor. We told stories in her living room. And then we stayed the … [Read more...]
It’s All About Me
Last night at a media preview event at a new restaurant, my friend and I struck up a conversation with the couple sitting at the table next to us. What followed was a discussion about blogs and media with two people who are not necessarily embedded in this medium the way I am. It … [Read more...]
Songs That Stab Me in the Heart: “There’s Still My Joy” by Indigo Girls
Last year someone gave me Indigo Girls' new Christmas album. I played it on my computer while I was wrapping presents. This song came on, and that was the end of that. I had never heard it before. It's a cover of an old Melissa Manchester tune. I brought my tree down to … [Read more...]