Humanity: Raw & Unfiltered
The word recovery has always frightened me when it came to my own mental health. How do I recover from something that is with me for the rest of my life? When I was first made aware that I had a mental illness at 17 years old, I spent the entire next 365 days in […]
As the automatic doors swished open, my mother began her search. The grocery store’s bakery was on our immediate right. Mom zeroed in on her target, pushing her shopping cart toward a plain woman in a peacock blue trench. To keep up, my short legs moved double time. Mom’s high heels clicked, louder and louder, […]
A story of grief, healing and hope. The essay traces a woman’s trip to her hometown after the death of her husband. The traditions that aid the process of grieving and a daughter’s realization about her mother’s resilience and watching her claim herself back. “She has a pacemaker; you cannot take her through the airport […]
I began referring to him privately as “The Swede.” From in between my crunches on the exercise mat, I snuck glances at his pale, chiseled face. His square jaw and high, sculpted cheekbones stood out as if his face was sketched from the pages of a superhero DC comic. I crunched. He lunged. His impossibly […]
Take a moment and imagine… Imagine cutting your bills in half. Imagine making significant changes; affording yourself the opportunity for choices. Imagine clearing out the mounds of clutter in your closets, cabinets, and drawers. Imagine having a home that is well organized, appealing to each of your senses. Imagine starting new; creating a life that […]
Take no heed of her…. She reads a lot of books.―Jasper Fforde, The Eyre Affair I cannot tell my son I walked to or from school in the snow because I grew up in Arizona. But I have told him I walked home the one mile route from St. Theresa to my suburban home in […]
Kids are hard–they drive you crazy and break your heart–whereas grandchildren make you feel great about life, and yourself, and your ability to love someone unconditionally, finally, after all these years. ―Anne Lamott, Some Assembly Required July 23, 2012 The day my life changed forever. In every way. I became a Grandma at 47. I […]
“It was very pleasant to savor its aroma, for smells have the power to evoke the past, bringing back sounds and even other smells that have no match in the present. -Tita” ― Laura Esquivel, Like Water for Chocolate Food has always been a big deal in my family. For centuries, I believe all the […]