I open the front screen door and step tentatively inside. My eyes dart to where my sister sits on the couch with new, tanned skin and home-cut bangs. I want to tease her about her eternal compulsion to dye and cut her own hair on a whim, but I feel… Read More

In retrospect, my parenting résumé doesn’t look too bad. I’ve raised three kids into successful adults who now love and care for their own families. Everyone turned out okay, but sometimes that was despite me. I’ll never forget how angelic they looked when they were sleeping.  Shouldn’t it follow… Read More

Some friendships end slowly—in missed calls, unanswered texts, and constantly rescheduled hangouts. We should hang out soon! your friend says. Yes, let’s! you respond. But the other person is never available, and so the friendship fades. Other friendships end in angry words, harsh judgments, and buried resentments brought to… Read More

She put her hands on her hips, and spat out, “All my friends think you’re cool, but they don’t know you like I do!” Then she turned and stomped up the steps. Ah, my first born. She was generally a rule-follower and very compliant, but I had apparently crossed some… Read More

You thought you had it right this time. You thought that, this time, it was forever. You just didn’t realize forever would end this soon. Your friends try to comfort you. They tell you it wasn’t your fault. They say you couldn’t have done anything to change what happened. Read More

The drive was so familiar that, as I turned the corner, I was on autopilot. There it was. Our old house. As I looked at the house, a feeling of melancholy came over me. It wasn’t about the house, really. The house had a kitchen that was too small and… Read More

“You’re always working and you’re never home to help me!” I complained. There, I said it. But was it true? Not really. I just wanted to get my point across so badly that I was willing to exaggerate the problem. Yes, he worked long hours to support… Read More

When you were a kid in kindergarten, it seemed so much easier to make friends. All you had to do was compliment someone’s shoes on the playground, ask if they wanted to play a game—and voila! You were instant best friends. At least it felt that way. As an adult,… Read More

My friendship with George started as a trip to IKEA to buy a table. I’m not sure you can walk in IKEA, find what you need, and get out in less than 2 hours. But it’s especially doubtful when you’re with an IKEA newbie. And my new friend George… Read More

It was the hardest decision I had ever made. I had to pack up and move to Europe in the midst of the most painful and unexpected conflict my family had ever faced. I had planned my European adventure for over a year. And as much as I… Read More