How can you give what you don't have?

[This fictional representation of a conversation in my mind borrows liberally from actual events. I wrote most of it during my flights home from Utah last Monday.] My husband walks into our bedroom and asks if I'm OK. Bent over my laptop, I steadily gaze at the screen and answer with some uncertainty. "Yeah...?" Then … Continue reading Not Enough

She must start somewhere, even if it’s wrong Writing isn't incubating ideas so long They burn holes in the brain. Ideas unhatched make a woman insane. So I start. I step out. My fingers stop hovering and punch at the keys. You wrote a brief bio in your Medium profile. The last word you used … Continue reading Without Reference

I believe in the rights of the yet-to-be-born and the rights of the yet-to-give-birth. I have a hard time NOT seeing abortion of a viable fetus as the taking of an innocent life. I also believe that the way most, if not all, pro-life advocates respond to the idea of abortion is part of the … Continue reading There’s One More Kid

I have not blogged for a few months now. It's not because I haven't had anything* to say but because I no longer have a routine that places my time for writing in a secure place. That time has become subject to a chaos of activity that would be called insanity by anyone who doesn't … Continue reading Anything

[Written Monday, July 16, 2018] I climbed to the top of "the dune" with my daughter and an assortment of in-laws and friends this evening. Cape Kiwanda, I am told, used to be a lot bigger. It could be that the cape is giving way to erosive forces. But I am convinced that more dramatic … Continue reading Most Uncertain Hours

At first I thought it was like living in a hotel, except that we were the hospitality staff waiting for a guest. Now I'd say it's more like living in a museum where we have to make it constantly look like Friday, June 22nd at 2 pm, the time that our home officially started offering … Continue reading If the Lights Are All Down

I am sickened, hurt, angry, but trying to find perspective. A former member of my faith took advantage of a sensitive topic, a real event, and his familiarity with church practices and policies to create an elaborate hoax about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its problematic history in regards to race. … Continue reading Someday You’ll Understand

"So what do you want for your Mother's Day breakfast?" my husband asks in earnest. I can hear his imagination salivating over greasy sausages, fried potatoes, and thick omelets. "Actually, my favorite breakfast is the one I have every day: fresh fruit with oatmeal." "Ah, so I can bring your oatmeal to you in bed. … Continue reading Through Every Open Door

[I am sharing my story of how I just could not happy through Mother's Day this year because I need you to know that had I been feeling fine, I would have been able to let go of this idea that I should "have it all" as a modern mother. I would have said, "I'm … Continue reading I Will Be Right Here Standing My Ground