The first time my mother disparaged my weight, I was thirteen. I wore a size 7. My best friend and I were shopping, finding outfits for the fashion show our dramatic choir […]
The Weight Dilemma
Set Your Car on Fire!
My mother gave up driving fifteen years ago. She gave it up because she no longer wanted to navigate the terrible traffic congestion in the Dallas metroplex area. She got tired […]
Five Things Driving Has Taught Me About How to Take Things Less Personally
When I drive, I tend not to take things personally. Interestingly, my practice in doing this on the road translates very well into how not to take things personally in my life.
How to Leave A Legacy Without Knowing It
In 1981 my dad pulled our sky blue K car wagon into the Corrine gate at the naval base in Orlando, Florida. This would be our home. He served his final post […]
Dear Sister: A Gratitude Letter
Dear Sister, A friend is doing a gratitude diary and it’s been helping her a lot, so I thought I’d try as well. I believe in the practice of gratitude, have seen […]
How to Make Your Dead Grandmother’s Cheesecake Brownies
You haven’t baked in a long time, and you’re going through a lot right now. You miss your grandmother, who always wanted to be called “Nana.” “It’s classier,” she’d say, “I’m a classy […]
A Must Read Essay
The author of the essay “Whatever Happened to ________?” published anonymously, because she had to. Stalked by an ex-husband who freaked out due to her greater success as a writer, she has […]
Go Ahead, Fence Me In
It was dark when we pulled into the driveway on the night in question. The car’s headlights illuminated the brilliant, white fence that marks the property line between the driveway and an […]
On Breaks and Connections
This week the kids went back to school after our beautifully long winter break, and I’m drowning in silence. I miss them. It’s hard, after the house has been full of joy, […]
Tucked Away by Ann LaBar Russek
It’s a New Year and time to “untuck” in 2020. Find some time with pen in hand, and let loose those private aspirations, those longings you’ve kept tucked away for a very […]
