Six years ago, my mother passed away after a long illness. Her decline was hard to witness, but that last year was full of goodness. Little things mattered most, like naps, holding hands, and lemon cookies. And we both appreciated being completely in the moment and not looking too far ahead. I started reading out loud to her, and other people's stories became our own. The first book I read to her was "The Secret Life of Bees" by Sue Monk Kidd (Penguin Books, 2002). The world of 14-year-old Lily Owens became our world... Read the full article...
How does a card line start? Mine started accidentally. I dropped a bin filled with a few thousand foam hearts in my doorway as I was walking into my house one afternoon last summer. Red hearts in an assortment of sizes were everywhere. I instantly took a picture, feeling like the moment was more than what it seemed to be. There were so many hearts on our porch and in our garden. My daughter and I began to scoop up handfuls of hearts and sprinkle them on friends' doorsteps. Some made it back in the bin. Others still show up under a leaf in the garden... Read the full article...