Two weeks ago, I obliviously plopped onto my well-worn spot on the sofa to watch the Opening Ceremonies of the 2018 Winter Olympic Games. Although I knew the general idea behind most of the sports featured, I had no idea what “a double Michael Chuck,” “a hog line,” or “a Bellman spin” were. But after…
parenting
When kids are quiet, something’s not right
“Kids… ,” I’d yelled into our playroom on a regular basis when our children were small, “what’s going on in there?!” Usually, I’d heard roughhousing — giggling, knocks against the wall, creaking couch springs, yips and squeals. You’d think the innocent sounds of our children playing would warm our hearts, but as experienced parents, Francis…
Is your cup half full or half empty?
My mother, a retired first-grade teacher, has always put a positive spin on things that appeared to be sad, unjust, terrifying or disgusting. I’ve always admired her capacity to see the good in all things, but there are times when this ability seems out of reach. On a mud-splattered, dreary Monday morning in February, my…
Pork Chop Envy
It was another gloomy winter afternoon in our working-class English village. Ever since we’d been stationed at JAC Molesworth in the flat Cambridgeshire countryside know as “The Fens,” I’d found myself counting the minutes until my husband, Francis, got home from work. At that latitude, the sun set around four o’clock, leaving me with nothing…
What I believe about Hell and hand baskets