A Mother’s Day reflection about love, expectations, distance, regret, and the painful realization that motherhood changes as children grow older and build lives of their own. Mother’s Day always makes me reflective. This morning I woke up thinking about my mother and the complicated relationship we had. I never doubted that she loved me, but…
Tipping makes more sense when you’ve lived it. This is about what that work is really like, what we expect today, and what might change next. I’ve always thought there are a few jobs everyone should have to do at least once, and waiting tables is at the top of that list. I started my…
Suicide leaves behind more than grief. It leaves questions, silence, and a deep need to understand something we often can’t see. This piece reflects on the importance of compassion over judgment—and the quiet truth that we never fully know what someone else is carrying. Death is hard. There’s no way around it. But death by…
There’s a quiet belief I carry. If everything is in order, maybe the worst won’t happen. It may not make sense, but it feels real. I have this superstition I don’t talk about much, mostly because I know it doesn’t make complete sense. But it’s there, and if I’m being honest, it probably shapes more…
I spent years wishing I could be her. Then one day, she stopped aging—and I didn’t. This is what it means to carry someone with you through a lifetime they never got to live. I met Mary in seventh grade, back when everything felt big and important and permanent. She was the kind of girl…
A simple, honest reminder that the way we used to live still matters. This piece looks back at a time when people showed up for each other without hesitation and challenges us to bring that spirit back. It’s about connection, compassion, and choosing to lift people up instead of tearing them down because life moves…
Getting older is a one-way street. The young think they understand life because they’ve lived a little. The truth is, we’ve lived all of it. Here’s my take on the gap between what we remember and what they can’t yet see. There’s something I’ve noticed more and more the older I get. Young people think…
A heartfelt reflection on family, distance, and the ache of separation—from a mother and grandmother learning to navigate life with her loved ones spread across the country. Family has always been the anchor of my life. I grew up in a home where love was loud—shared meals, bursts of laughter, and the comfort of being…
