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The Spirit of Gift-Giving
It was May of 1990. Eric and I had just met in March, and it was my twentieth birthday. We were living in Los Angeles. He came to my apartment carrying a present. I opened it. He bought me a coffee maker. I was surprised. My new boyfriend didn’t get me a necklace or earrings. He got me a kitchen appliance. In only a few weeks of dating, he had already learned the important role coffee played in my life. Of course, I thanked him, but in my mind I was wondering if things were going to work out between us. I mean, a coffee maker? Even back then the…
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It’s the Holidays! 5 Ways to Keep Joy from Escaping Like The Gingerbread Man
I don’t know about you, but this time of year can leave me feeling overwhelmed. Buying gifts, baking cookies, decorating, wrapping presents, planning meals, on top of all the daily household chores and writing a novel. I’m busy. It’s not that I don’t like doing any of those things, I just forget to enjoy them while I’m doing them because my mind keeps reminding me of the things I have yet to accomplish. That’s when I begin to shut down. Well, my heart shuts down, or numbs joy, and as soon as this happens the annoying voice in mind pipes up: It’s the holidays stop being such a Scrooge!
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Family Bonding Over the Holidays
One of the greatest sounds in the world is the laughter of my children – together. Last night I was upstairs working, Eric was playing his computer game and our two children were downstairs watching a movie and laughing hysterically. I felt the warm glow that mothers feel when their children are bonding and kind to one another. I finished writing and went down to join them. Arielle was lounging on a chair and Kai was across from her on the couch. A small table sat in between. I plopped down next to Kai and we all watched, Waterboy. A commercial came on and Kai muted the TV. Arielle began telling…
