I looked up at night sky and saw the stars dancing among the trees. I blinked once, thinking my eyes were playing tricks on me, but the view was the same. “Look!” I said to my husband. “The stars, they’re moving.” “Yep. Those are winter fireflies,” he said. Even in the darkness, I could see his smirk. Immediately, I realized what these dancing stars were. The laser Christmas light display from the front yard was projecting over the house, into the trees and sky. Its beam added an other Continue Reading
How to Take a Fighting Stance Against Codependent, Self-Destructive Behavior
It was a hot, sultry day in July when the realization hit me. At first, I tried to deny it. The truth was painful. But I couldn’t escape its certainty. My family member was better off in my absence than he was in my presence. And as much as I wanted to fix the situation, I couldn’t. Consequences accumulated because of poor choices. Everyone close to the matter seemed to hold their breath, waiting, and then waiting some more. And despite a stark refusal to face reality, it lurked. Continue Reading
Lessons Learned in Mothering: Don’t Hit the Orange Prius
My husband hit a bright orange Prius the day before our daughter was due. We were flying down the interstate at 70 miles per hour and he attempted to change lanes. I felt a sharp thud on our left, like we’d run over something. And we had, sort of- a little hybrid that was no match for our rather large SUV. In his defense, she said she “saw us and wasn’t sure whether to slow down or speed up.” Really? Apparently she chose the latter. We have a running joke in our family. If I’m Continue Reading
