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For most of my life, I’ve been an open book. I tend to trust people quickly and make fast friends. That’s partly out of necessity, as I’ve been a military wife for most of my adulthood and military families tend to settle in quickly. In my case, that tendency also…

My childhood memories hold a lot of special moments: our first family trip to Disney World, summers at the Jersey Shore, fun family celebrations. But mostly, I remember the mundane parts of family life. In those moments, we learned valuable life skills. Some of my earliest memories are of my…

As far back as I can remember, I wanted to be a mom. Sure, I had other interests, hobbies, and ambitions, but my deepest and most meaningful dreams were about motherhood. I not only loved mothering, but I was often called upon to parent solo when my husband was deployed…

Most of us have vivid memories of a day that changed the trajectory of our lives — that point on the calendar separating the before from the after. Some of those days hold the best of memories, such as a wedding or the birth of a child. Others hold darker…

I have a friend who lost her 16-year-old son this summer in a swimming accident. I’m heartbroken for her family. My own family grieves their loss, and my 16-year-old daughter misses him terribly. Yet I occasionally catch myself saying something to her that may appear insensitive. I once asked…

The day my 14-year-old daughter couldn’t get out of bed on her own was the first time I really felt the heaviness of life. It was then we knew we were facing a major health issue. At times, especially before Grace’s diagnosis, the weight of her illness felt unbearable.

From the time I was a little girl, I’ve always loved gymnastics. I grew up in the 1980s, when gymnast Mary Lou Retton was taking the world, or at least the United States, by storm. She won a gold, two silver, and two bronze medals at the 1984 Summer Olympics…

I’ve always loved the start of a new school year. Freshly sharpened pencils and clean, untouched notebooks bring me a lot of joy. Each school year brings exciting opportunities, thrilling books to read, and, for our home-schooling family, quality time with my girls. But this year is bittersweet. Our daughter…

Last week, many of us here in Florida had to prepare for Hurricane Idalia. Emergency notifications warned of imminent inclement weather. By midweek, our grocery stores were bare and the line to fill our gas tanks wrapped around the station. Schools closed. The hurricane threat moved me to action.

Summer at our house usually overflows with days at the pool, cookouts with crunchy corn on the cob, and long, lazy vacations. But when our youngest daughter, Bethany, lost one of her close friends to a tragic accident at the end of June, that all changed. After the…