Unplanned Hiatus

I can't believe it's been over three weeks since I've blogged. Admittedly, my life has been a bit busy. Aside from the job that pays the bills, CJSTUF has been gearing up for our next big event (next Saturday!) so I've been busy collecting items for our silent auction and tying up loose ends for the whole she-bang. I'm still writing, too. I wrote another piece or two for Insert Eyeroll and covered a story about the Ringling Bros. circus coming to town for Richmond Mom.

The problem is, at the end of the day, I'm tired. I have plenty of things to write about and there is no lack of source material. But I also love curling up with a good book or watching a movie or TV show as the day winds down. My latest obsession is old episodes of Monk on Netflix.

A few of you have asked recently about my book: Four Seasons for Charlotte. We are, indeed, working on a Spring 2012 publication date. I'm hoping for May. I am in the process of working with the publisher on final layout and all the other itty bitty details. I've already secured some advanced praise for the book and I will soon be hitting up media outlets and reviewers for more endorsements. Don't worry because when the time comes, you won't be able to get me to shut up about it. That is, until you buy a copy.

With all of that, my personal blog has taken a back seat. I suppose this happens to just about everyone during their blogging experience. I'm hoping it's a phase. I am sure that I will find time and make it a priority again. I still love the writing thing. I just need more hours in the day. And energy.

For now, hang in there. Thanks for sticking with me. I promise I'll be back!

The Edge of Seventeen

It's that time of year when the blog musings center on my grief journey. Every year, it seems like we are busy with end-of-the-year school activities and the start of summer, planning vacations, and then (kablam)...it's almost July 9. Grief is funny. Grief is weird. I remember very early after Charlotte died, I watched the movie Rabbit Hole. There's an amazingly poignant scene where Nicole Kidman's character is talking with another woman who lost a child over 10 years before (played by Dianne Wiest). She talks about grief being like a brick in your pocket. It never goes away. Sometimes you can even forget it's there. But it comes back and makes its presence known from time to time. And (she says) "it's what you have of them." I probably did not fully realize then what a powerful and true analogy that is. As time goes on, our grief changes. Yet, it is always there on the edge of things. It sits in that pocket and sometimes makes itself known. This...

To everything there is a season

It's been a while since I used the blog to share my thoughts. What started as some random musings turned into much more than a Facebook post. I started writing this over a week ago but it's taken a minute to actually hit the publish button. Thanks for your patience. Welcome back. It has been a week (or two) . One of those weeks where everything happens all at once. A week where things need to happen in a particular order or everything‘s going to go to shit. A week where you just seem to go from one thing to the next thing and you’ll figure out what’s going to happen next as it goes along. A week full of work and family and rest and sleeplessness and it never feels like there’s enough time for anything. But somehow it all works out. A plaque on the library walk in NYC My week started with a trip for work to NYC. It coincided with my birthday. Because of that, I had all kinds of feelings all week about life in general. The week ended with a trip to Florida that, unfortun...

How to be Human

If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that life is complicated and challenging in many ways. Most days, I'm exhausted. Are you exhausted? During the early part of 2022, though, I had the chance to read three books that really helped me frame my frustration, angst, and anxiety about the world. All of these books are recently published, based on solid research, and approach their subjects in a way that makes them understandable and relatable to everyone. If you read even one of these books, I guarantee that you will learn things, gain perspective about the world, and discover insights about yourself and your humanity. Each book also touches on the role the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our lives and on our society so they are certainly timely. I will share my individual reviews for each book that I published on my Goodreads profile. If you have read any of these books recently, would love to hear your thoughts as well! Atlas of the Heart by Brene Bro...

I See What You Meme

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