I am in the midst of moving from a leased house to a newly purchased one. All of the boxes we didn't go through for the past several years while waiting to buy are now being tackled one at a time. Ugh. Many have revealed items that trigger memories. Some good and many sad ones. I have gone through boxes with my son's books, birthday cards from my mother, and notes from my dear friend Alycia Long Allen. My heart has taken a beating these past three and a half weeks but it h

Grief never leaves you - you change over time as you adjust to the empty spaces. Looking at a calm sea is rather like the face you show the world when a loved one dies. But, under the sea, there is a whole other reality with sea life, plants, and currents. Under the calm exterior, we remember. It has been two years since my brother Bobby died. I can't believe how fast the time has flown by. I can't believe he is not still alive and well. I can't believe how painful it is whe

While sipping tea in Ireland, I was reminded how history lessons sometimes meld into the here and now. Old wounds, old scars, old conflicts... sad history lessons learned or re-learned in Europe became reminders of what we face today. My husband and I recently went to Scotland, Italy, and Ireland. Lovely places with incredible historic sites and stories. We realized how young our country really is by comparison. But, like Gettysburg and other sites of war here in the US, th