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Four months ago I became an official grandmother, well "Lovey" to Jett Parker Ellington Wade. Not being called grandma has nothing to do with vanity, but I only remember my grandma when I hear the title. My mom is 'Granny' and my sister's grandchildren call her 'grandmother'. I want to be that little…

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I don’t have pets.  Good or bad, it is a wise choice.

 

In Colorado, we have been so fortunate in the last few days with the unusually warm temperatures for this time of year.  Since the windows are closed and I am in “my writing zone”, as I like to call it, I had forgotten about the large dog two doors down that barks constantly.  For those of us that love life here, no matter what the weather, we will savor the 60+ degree temperatures for the moment.

 

Back to…

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They arrived with presents, one huge backpack, athletic gear, assorted hats, gloves, boots and sets of keys. The immaculately decorated house immediately took on the aspect of chaos that it used to have when children lived here permanently. Christmas had begun.

The schedule was planned by Charlie, and it included some shopping, riding around to see the lights, holiday performances, and dinners out. We had a barbequed turkey on Christmas night, complete with coleslaw and…

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Tonight I am decorating the house for Christmas. Alone. I have cried the whole way through. Not big fat tears of sorrow, oh no. Just slippery sideways tears of knowing. Knowing that our family is changing and moving into a new season.

For twenty one years…

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Maybe I'd feel better if the question everyone's been asking me lately was, "How does it feel to be a $2 million lottery winner?" or "How does it feel to be the new Sports Illustrated swimsuit cover model?"

No, my cliche-question-du-jour, every day for the last 40 days has been, "How does it feel to be an empty-nester?" said, believe it or not, as if this was a clever and original inquiry that not only shows how aware-of-my-current-situation the questioner is, but also pretends to be,… Continue

My 27 year old son, his girlfriend and their labradoodle have been living with my husband and me this summer. They are currently enrolled in Ph.D. programs but don’t have classes or teaching assistant positions during the summer months.



Life has virtually stood still for me over the past couple of months. I have been so absorbed, focused, and fulfilled by the presence of these two people I adore. They are delightful adults and fun playmates. We celebrated Memorial Day weekend and the… Continue

I have thought about what an empty house feels like, when it has been full. Like an empty stomach, growling in places. There is such a silence.



It made me think of emptiness, this feeling. I didn’t want to. It was enough that I was being in it without disintegrating. That seemed a victory I shouldn’t mess with, a kind of blessing.



I am aware that the emptiness wraps itself around me, shapes me. I wonder what exactly this shape is… Continue

It was that time of year again, when kids go off to college. I was witnessing hysterical mothers all around me, crying at Starbucks, breaking down on the treadmill at my gym. I know that particular meltdown. It’s different from “I can’t pay the bills” or “We are about to lose our house” or “I can no longer fit into my fat pants!”



My son left last year. I was surprised and quietly proud of keeping it all together. I was more focused on the preparation of it all. I had seen the… Continue