What Runaway Horses Taught Me About Fear and Control
When twenty horses ran out of control in my backyard, I made a split-second decision to do something which taught me a lot about fear and control.
lessons learned
You’re a Jigsaw Puzzle Piece
Imagine you are a piece of a jigsaw puzzle. You are made of cardboard and have crisp edges that fit alongside your fellow puzzle pieces. Together, you make a beautiful picture and the picture isn’t whole without you. Now, imagine that you are mixed in with other puzzle pieces. In the testing of all of the […]
No pants, no problem
“It’s my body and I can wear whatever I want.” My daughter stood defiantly before me, hands on hips in her underwear, a t-shirt, and sandals. Picking her up from preschool is usually fairly quick but today, my sweet daughter looks more like a stubborn rhino. She will not budge. Her teachers, also unwilling to […]
Seeking Health Care When You Don’t Speak the Language
Your doctor’s office is really a beehive of data. Your patient data requires effective communication between you (the patient) and the doctor. Then communication happens between the doctors, nurses, and the administrative staff in the clinic. Then, your data is often transmitted to other doctors in other clinics and out to laboratories and back again. […]
The 20th Anniversary of Families in Global Transition—Perhaps the best yet
Photo Credit: Sandra Bissell You know when you meet someone in person when you’ve only connected online that there is a moment of I-already-know-you-but-I-don’t-really-know-you awkwardness? Yeah, that doesn’t happen at the Families in Global Transition Conference. You know you’ve “come home” when the first hug you’re given when you walk into the hotel lobby rivals […]
A Vehicle: A Partnership
The headlight beamed into our garage. It is after 9 p.m. and my husband, and I have been working on the front end of our cranky Volvo for at least two hours. Successfully self-conducted car repairs would be considered a victory if we still lived in Atlanta, GA because I always enjoyed saving money but […]
Why You Should Give Some Cities a Second Chance
Have you ever met someone who raved about visiting a particular city and you wrinkled your nose and shook your head, “Gah, no. That was not our experience at all!” How can people have such different impressions of the same place? Maybe the weather was bad, your kids were whiny, or you were tired from […]
Dramatic Play is Therapeutic For Your Child
Kids recreate the world how they see it through dramatic play. Shouting is emanating from behind the closed door of my daughter’s room. “No, Mama, don’t go!” “I have to go to work. You have to stay here.” My three-year-old is playing in her room by herself. I slowly open the door. Her back is […]
The Perfect Relocation in an Ideal World
In an ideal world, there would be only perfect relocations. A world in which everything goes according to plan, nobody is running around at the last minute all sweaty with stress, and the children are well behaved on every flight and breeze through connecting airports. In this ideal world, here’s what a perfect relocation might […]
Lessons Learned After Editing an Anthology
Despite never having managed a professional sports team, I imagine that writing an anthology is somewhat similar. There is a bit of cheering from the sidelines, calling periodic team meetings, and encouraging your contributors to provide you their best work possible. First, let’s get the terminology down: A collection of stories versus an anthology. Some […]