Loving my kids without knowing love myself — I still miss kisses I never felt as a child. Nursing my children, sleeping next to them, and carrying them in wraps, I tried to give them warmth I never knew. My mother loves me but never nurtured me. She couldn’t convey what she had never felt. The scolding tone…

Can Humanity Find Its Way Home? — In a suburban backyard my puppy and I fathom — a clear night I’d have admired before knowing night sans light 🕊Remembering… Endless stars over redwoods more vivid when power’s out Pacific Gas & Electric skirting liability in megafire times Boundless stars from a city roof largest blackout in ‘his’ story…

Empathy, Love, and Justice Are the Cures — I want to extend special thanks to several editors at Illumination. The thoughtful input they shared helped me to organize and refine this story. Their knowledge of the region and history was reassuring since I am a newcomer to this dialogue. I write as a mother hoping to raise conscientious…

Rescuing a Spider, Learning Love for All — The other day in a moment of compassion and courage I reached down to cup a daddy long legs spider in my hands. It had been nestled in a small web near the base of my toilet. …

Mothers call for peace not war — As a mother who cares about my children’s future and the future of all children, I’m afraid of the polarization that’s driving our world. It’s as if everyone who could stop the vehicle we’re sharing from careening off a cliff is trapped in the backseat while a psychopath pushes the…

Processing Senseless Devastation with Collective Compassion — Searching for hope in seemingly hopeless times A barrage of false images, memes, videos, and posts has made it nearly impossible to know exactly what’s happening in Israel and Gaza in the week since the surprise Hamas attacks. People throughout the region are grieving in shock. Some have lost their entire families or communities. The story of…

I learned to start courageous conversations. You can, too. — Watching the news without getting the story While I was growing up in the suburbs of Chicago in the 1970s and 80s, we watched the news every night. Despite that, I failed to learn anything about the state of our world. I don’t recall ever discussing the news with my parents or in school. (Unless you count…

Adapting Educational Goals for a Changing World — Like all parents, I love my children and want them to enjoy healthy, fulfilling futures. I’m grateful that my daughter is happy with the college she got into. I hope my sons will be happy with their options, too. That said, where (or even if) kids go to college is…

On Letting Go and Finding Joy — Things lingering in my sacred space… Grounding green flower essence A broken necklace that once brought calm A Mother's Day card from Jack with a kind note Another from Evie with a heartfelt note I hoped to cherish it forever now lost Henry’s thought-filled eyes staring at me from a pre-COVID…