Lucy Reflects

There you were, born five months too soon, hanging from my body unlike anything I had ever seen.

And how good it feels to lower them. This school year, we had our little Beatrix begin kindergarten and Max enter seventh grade.

For me, sailing as a hobby had never crossed my mind. It seemed like a lot of work for not much pay off. Hobbies for me were more like relaxing on land, sipping wine, admiring boats from afar, watching TV, and taking naps.

Can life possibly get any more awkward than the middle school years? I’m reliving those times vicariously through my son, who started sixth grade this year.

A gentle breeze rattles the old curved windows and the creaking floor whispers stories of days past in the Historic Riverboat House. I wonder what stories these 115-year-old walls would tell if they could talk.

I've been working in a hospital for seven years. The first few years of my career as a respiratory therapist were ideal.

For as long as I can remember, my dad has had rugged hands, tough and stained skin with cuts and scars telling the story of long days at work, manual labor at home, fixing cars, or dealing with plumbing issues in our old farmhouse.

I’d like to say a little something about what is so wonderful and rewarding … and so frustrating about staying at home with your children.

I am one of six children. The first three of us are about 18 months apart, then came my sisters and youngest brother in four-year increments.

Last weekend, my youngest son hollered for me to come upstairs to see “the best Mother’s Day gift ever.” I peeked inside the bathroom and there it was, in all its glory. A brand-new, shiny white, high-efficiency, dual-flush toilet.

“Most of us have two lives; the life we live and the unlived creative life within us. Between the two lives stands resistance.” - Steven Pressfield in The War of Art

Max recently started playing on an indoor soccer league. It was a league that was made up of us city folks and we played other more organized groups. I don’t know specific details, but our team was the only one without uniforms or uniformity.

I was putting it off until the time was right, but there was never going to be a “right” time.

You Can Dress Her Up, But You Can’t Take Her Out.

Whitney and I and the toddlers recently headed to a local coffee shop that features a kid’s corner. We began unpacking our kids from our cars.

It is often said that you have just a few defining moments in your life. You know, those moments that shape you forever? I had one of those when my twins turned two.

My son, Max, who is now 10, was a terrible toddler. Such a handsome young lad with long blonde hair and bright blue eyes. But holy crap, was he the devil incarnate.

At the ripe age of two, my daughter started dismembering her Barbies. I reached out to fellow parents and they pretty much said it was normal. I still think they just said that to put my mind at ease, but I digress.