Happy birthday to my sunshine girl.

A friend of mine passed away unexpectedly two weeks ago. Her name was Wendy. Her husband, Bob, reached out to let me know. Since then, we’ve been talking about what happened, how he and their son are coping, and what a remarkable woman Wendy was. I’ve been crying on and off since he told me. I don’t say that for sympathy. I say it because I want you to understand the impact Wendy had on our lives and how deeply someone can touch your heart simply by being part of your everyda

There is nothing wrong with expressing sympathy, but sometimes, I wonder if we’re missing an opportunity to be more thoughtful with our words.

I have a decent relationship with God, I think. It feels more human than spiritual sometimes. We talk. We argue. We get exasperated with each other. There are moments when I’m disappointed in Him, and I imagine there are plenty of moments when He’s been disappointed in me. Overall, though, I’d call it a decent relationship. I grew up Catholic. We were all baptized, and I made my First Communion, which was a proud moment for me. My grandparents were heavily involved in the chu

Motherhood has been the single greatest experience of my life. Surprisingly, settling into the role came easily. It felt far more natural than I had ever expected.

Carrying your own gear is about personal accountability and consideration for the people around us.

I live with grief every day. It's in my bones. Some moments, it feels like the thing that will suffocate me, but mostly it is the thing that has brought more compassion and sensitivity into my life. It doesn't define me, but it has shaped my life in more ways than I can count. Out of the six people in my nuclear family, I'm the only one left. It was my mother, father, sister's Linda and Lori, my brother Mark and me. Lori passed away from Leukemia just before her eighth birth

Every year I post a happy birthday wish to my brother in heaven because he should be remembered with love and laughter.

I am a full believer in signs. I get them all of the time. If I am stressed, I smell my mother's perfume. She passed away in May, 2011. Today, on what would have been my sister Linda's 60th birthday, she popped in for a quick chat. I play this game called Crossword Master. The tiles at the bottom are randomly generated. This round, the letters came up as “LINDA”. The best part? I was on the phone with her daughter at the same time. She was saying hello to us both. How cool i

It’s the Best Day of Joannuary!

Married: 12 years Together: 16 years Known each other: 18 years Loved, frustrated, laughed and annoyed each other: The entire time. Marriage is taking the good with the not-so-good. It’s being a partner. It’s forgiving when you don’t want to. It’s family. It’s kids. It’s being there for each other. It’s growing together. It’s loving each other through the hard times and laughing when it’s good. Glad we are both here to celebrate twelve years of this beautiful family.

My husband had a stroke and everything changed

For most of my life, we were a family of four. My sister Lori had passed away when I was very young and my father lived in Connecticut, while I lived in Florida with my mother, sister Linda and brother Mark. As you may or may not know, of the six people in my immediate family, I am the only one who is still living. My father was not in our lives, but he passed away in the mid 90's. Lori lost her battle with Leukemia at the age of almost 8 years old in 1974. Mark was killed w

Two hurricanes in a row for Florida residents was devastating to so many people.

We need our female friendship to feed our souls.

Dear Mom, Thirteen years ago, you found your angel wings. I say “found” because you always had them, I just don’t think you realized it. To say I feel blessed to have had you in my life for 41 years is such an understatement. Your love, respect, grace and strength was unrepeatable. Thank you for being the example by which I raise our kids. I have heard your voice in my head guiding me more times than I can remember. Thank you for being the example by which I live my life. Kee

Happy Birthday Linda!

My baby brother would have turned 50 today.