My brother and sister are snowed in up in Michigan. With the cold weather settling in and the snow piling up, I found myself thinking about snowed-in essentials — not the usual ones, but the kind that matter to the people you love. So I did what any good sister does — I checked in. Not about the obvious things. When people talk about snowed-in essentials, they often think of food and supplies, but comfort can look different depending on the person — and the people — you’re caring for. I asked, “Do you have everything you need?” And by everything, I meant his everything. My brother is 65. He’s…
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Some Days Just Call For Soup
Some days just call for soup.Not the kind that takes all afternoon or requires a handwritten recipe card — just the kind that comes together because it needs to.In winter, comfort soup has a way of warming more than just your stomach. Today was one of those days. I made what I call cheater soup. And honestly, for some people, this is the only kind of soup they know how to make — and that’s perfectly fine. I roasted a few chicken thighs.Poured in low-sodium, store-bought organic broth.Used up every vegetable sitting in my crisper drawer — including the ones that were starting to look at me like its now…
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Lessons in Living — Lesson #2: Why Saying No Is Okay
I’m sharing small lessons in living — the kind you don’t always recognize while you’re learning them. They don’t arrive all at once. They show up quietly, over time, usually after you’ve already lived through the hard part. This one took me longer than I care to admit. For a long time, I thought saying yes was proof that I was a good person. Over time, I’ve learned that saying no is okay — even though it took me a while to believe it. If someone invited me somewhere, I went.If someone asked me to do something, I said sure — nothing illegal or immoral.I believed that showing up —…
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In The Blink Of An Eye
By the skin of my teeth, I missed getting caught in a blizzard this morning. It started as a quiet winter day, and then—in the blink of an eye—everything changed. When I got to work, the skies were clear—or at least I think they were. I didn’t look up. It was Midwest windy, the kind that makes it hard to open your door and then slams it shut behind you. Nothing that suggested what was about to happen. No sooner than I could remove my coat, the temperature dropped, fog appeared, and everything changed. I watched from my window as it went from a few flakes to blinding white, no…
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When Cooking Fills You Up Before You Ever Sit Down
Sink full of dishes after cooking, showing olfactory sensory overload"
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Lessons in Living, from Dragonflies and My Mom
This is the first in a quiet series of reflections I’ll be sharing throughout the year — things I’m learning as I continue living, healing, and finding light where I can. Lesson One: Life Continues After Loss As this year comes to a close, I’ve been thinking a lot about something my dad asked of me a long time ago. When he passed in 2002, he made me promise him one thing — that I would live. At the time, I didn’t really understand what he meant. Back then, living felt like doing what needed to be done — getting up, going to work, being responsible, showing up for everyone…
