by Jennifer | Nov 20, 2016 | poems
Yesterday as we drove to soccerThe trees waved their lovely limbsEnrobed in the muted colors of late fall.Today as we came down the roadThe trees shivered, their arms naked.
by Jennifer | Jan 24, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, fun, hospital, marriage
Claustrophobia On Friday I had a post-treatment scan to find out where the radioactive iodine had gone in my body. My friend Stephen greeted me and waved me into a room with a big machine. I’ve never had any kind of scan before, so I was interested to see the machine,...
by Jennifer | Jan 23, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, marriage, pain, poems
Are you going to be healthy now? he asked me How can a girl answer a question with so many longings tied up in it The old “normal” Peace Wholeness Rest not tinged with worry Togetherness with no deadline Yes, I smiled, a little too...
by Jennifer | Jan 21, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, a mom's life, fun
by Jennifer | Jan 20, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, dates, marriage, poems
The romantic comedy always ends when the couple finally gets together. But anyone who’s been married for even a month knows those fledgling days aren’t a true harbinger of what’s to come. When we were first married, the stark contrast between the...
by Jennifer | Jan 19, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, a mom's life, books
A couple of weeks ago I was captivated by this passage in Rules of Civility (set in 1930s New York City): “Anyone who has ridden the subway twice a day to earn their bread knows how it goes: When you board, you exhibit the same persona you use with your...
by Jennifer | Jan 18, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, education
For a homeschooler, everything is a learning experience, so I can’t resist the opportunity to turn this into a science lesson. For my kids and yours, here are some random facts about radioactivity: When you’re radioactive, you give off radiation. Radioactive...
by Jennifer | Jan 17, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, a mom's life, the girl
One thing noticeably absent from my basement life is our kids. The basement is usually their domain, but they’ve had to find other places to destroy play. For most of the week, they’re being spoiled at friends’ and cousins’ houses and basically...
by Jennifer | Jan 16, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, pain, poems
I wrote this a few days after learning that I had cancer. Now, when the gravity of life weighs too heavy on me Details seem safe. I brush my teeth with care. I even floss. I wash a dirty plate until every speck of egg is gone. My closet is almost tidy again, sweaters...
by Jennifer | Jan 16, 2016 | 31 days of creativity, a mom's life
I like being by myself. (Though a week is a bit much.) An INFP doesn’t have a To Do list. Or if she does, she lost it in a pile upstairs somewhere, so it no longer matters. I have a rich inner life. No outer life to speak of, but a rich inner life. When the kids...
