A Sad Daughter Confronts the End of the Long Goodbye
A daughter knows when her parents need her. Each Sunday during this endless pandemic, my 80-something parents waited for our weekly call or Facetime visit. It didn’t take long for me to see my father’s long, slow dance with dementia was taking a significant toll. An abrupt and distressing phone call was not the way […]
Why Don’t Words Exist For Women Like Us?
Words and their origins have always fascinated me. Hardly a day goes by when I don’t search for a synonym or meaning. I’m equally intrigued by those such as my friends and fellow bloggers, Klara and and Elaine, who speak multiple languages with an ease that makes me marvel. Then there’s Lara, who did the translations and questions for of […]
Relief and Reflection Deliver New Insights
Relief is the feeling that floods your body when you know there’s a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. I’ve felt relief many times throughout my life. Relief in knowing my 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Cote, still liked me after she scolded me for not being compassionate enough toward another student. Relief […]
Resentment Is Truly Hardwired, But Release Is Possible
Resentment, I’m sad to say, best describes my state of mind these days. This is not something I admit easily. Nor do I care for how resentment feels, so join me as I attempt some junior varsity psychoanalysis. Where to begin? You know how it feels on days when you’re just on edge, hair triggered […]
Loss and Life Beyond Failed Fertility
Loss lives on in ways large and small following an infertility diagnosis and failed IVF. This truth permeates the world of IVF survivors. That’s just one of many topics explored in a new Life Beyond Failed Fertility podcast with yours truly now available on iTunes and on Spotify, Podomatic, and Amazon. Loss Reflections When the podcast […]
Forever Changed … Again
Change comes slowly and then all at once. I honestly thought I would be better at coping with change and the pandemic bunker mentality by now. But after a year, I still feel compelled to dig into my reserves to get through most days. I know I’m not alone (feel y’all) in my exhaustion and […]
Hello? Is This Thing On?
Hello! While the pandemic has left me unable to immediately recognize what day of the week it is most mornings when I open my eyes, I did recall this weekend that it’s blog anniversary time. Yep. First week of February = Surviving in a Mommy Mad World Coming2Terms launch. This year marks 14 years. Fourteen […]
Atta Girl (And That Means, You!)
Atta Girl is a new publication on Medium. (More about why it exists in a minute.) Today, I am pleased to be among its published writers. Now, I don’t know about you, but I got a little weary of the Momala, Momala, Momala in recent weeks. The ‘momification’ of Kamala got me thinking and writing. […]
Tokenism Takes a New Form
Tokenism is an awkward thing to experience. I never fully understood how prevalent it is for childless women, but the penny dropped a few weeks ago. So, it started when a Random House marketing manager sent a ham-handed email. She asked if I’d like to read and share The Trying Game as part of October’s […]
From Ordinary to Extraordinary: Adaptation Is Our Superpower
Adaptation goes hand in hand with moving forward. This thought came to mind as I sat down in late August to write the following blog post for the final day of World Childless Week 2020. I had hoped to log in and participate in some of the WCW live events, but this week overlapped with […]