Today, the 26th of March, was the day we would have boarded a plane for our dream vacation to Ireland and Scotland.
Obviously, that is not happening.
Just three weeks ago, our youngest daughter was studying abroad in Ireland and my husband and I were planning a grand trip to visit her. I busily mapped out our itinerary and made hotel and Airbnb reservations.
Then came the rumblings of a pandemic.
Read MoreWhether our days are too slow or too fast, too empty or too scary, the change has been sudden and shocking. And more than a little unsettling.
How do we adapt when the tempo of our lives has changed so drastically? When the mood has gone from happy and buoyant to melancholy and ominous?
I don’t have the answers.
But I have noticed in difficult times, people turn to music.
Read MoreBeing an empty nester has its perks. For one, when your kids live across the country you have a good excuse to travel. For another, when you arrive, you have your own private chauffeur to meet you at the airport.
Such was the case on our recent trip to Austin, Texas, a city we’ve had the privilege of visiting twice since our son moved there two and a half years ago.
Read MoreTwo years ago, when we entered the empty-nest stage, we suddenly had all the time alone that we had once dreamed of. But even with all this time alone, we’ve discovered it still takes work and intention to keep the love light burning.
Read MoreEven in our monochromatic weekdays, I believe we can find golden rays of light gleaming down on us. And when darker clouds roll in–depression and sadness, broken relationships, unfulfilling jobs or difficulties at work, sickness and death, news of gun violence, natural disasters, and deadly viruses–we have all the more reason to look toward the Light.
Read MoreWe are sisters. And sisters care for one another. They laugh together. They listen and advise. They hold each other up when life gets hard.
But is it always rosy? Of course not! We’re still sisters, after all. And sisters have history.
Read MoreWhether or not you’ve followed our earlier episodes, I hope you’ll take a moment to sit down with a bowl of popcorn (or Gummi Bears, Junior Mints, etc.), and catch this latest blockbuster! Trust me, there’s no need to review, or even know the characters, and you’ll find the plot easy to follow.
So here goes…(cue Star Wars music).
A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away...
Read MoreMay I dance at your recital? Is that acceptable? I mean, if your teachers and professors and supervisors knew what I knew, if they had seen what I’ve seen, I think they’d dance too. Or at least they would understand if I got up and danced, right?
Read MoreI have a “November” binder at work. It’s full of speech and language activities with an autumn and Thanksgiving theme. This time of year we always read “I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie.”…And we always play: “Would you rather?”
Read MoreIn my younger years, the “Hearts at Home” conference was my happy place.
One of the speakers who always impressed me was Jill Savage, the founder of the organization. So imagine my surprise when my path crossed Jill’s again, this time when I was two years into my empty-nest years! It all happened through a series of fortunate events.
Read More“Well, it finally happened, Zachary. Somebody burned down my she shed.”
“Nobody burned down your she shed, Cheryl…”
You know the commercial. If you don’t, I’m afraid to say you might live under a rock. Besides being played countless times on TV, the State Farm commercial has scored over a million YouTube views. “Cheryl’s she shed” has come up in everyday conversations in my vicinity no less than four times in the past couple of months.
Read MoreWhen it comes to empty-nesting, I don’t consider it an either/or question. My glass is both half-empty AND half-full. And looking back, my whole parenting journey has been balancing the emptiness with the fullness.
Read MoreTwo years ago my husband crushed his elbow in a biking accident. He was disappointed to miss out on what had become an annual tradition for us…the Michiana Ride for Hospice. While Tom, arm in sling, sat at the registration table, our son Seth took his place so I wouldn’t have to ride alone. (Truth be told, he was riding for the free beer at the after-party!)
Seth and I had a great time bonding through biking.
Read MoreMaybe it’s my Enneagram 7-ish-ness. Or the dreamer in me. But finding new things to start has never been the issue. It’s sticking it out to the finish that’s the real kicker.
I often start with gusto, but slowly lose steam as time goes on. It’s the way I do meal-planning, and gardening, and knitting, and several other pastimes. Self-discipline is hard. Stick-to-itiveness is not in my blood.
Read MoreThe dog’s tags jingle. The cat saunters across the back of my chair, stretches out and purrs. These are the sounds I notice when the house is once again...too quiet…
…There’s no denying the Void. But rather than fill it with crazy-talk, I suggest we fill it with some NOISE!
Read MoreMy cell phone and I are attached at the hip.
In a previous life, you would have found my babies there. Whether I was eating lunch, making dinner, or visiting with friends–I often carried a small child with me.
Now, when I leave the kitchen or my office at work, my hand instinctively taps my hip pocket to make sure my baby is still there. I seldom go anywhere without her.
Why am I so attached to this device? Is it wrong? Am I addicted?
Read MoreOur culture has become one of isolation and fear. We build fences to block out the noise of the world, to protect our children, and to keep strangers out. We avoid eye-contact with people. We prefer to close our windows and doors. We keep ourselves hidden.
I wonder what would happen if more of us would open the windows and stick our necks out. What would happen if we sat on the front porch for all the world to see?
Read MoreMy husband and I have taken ballroom dancing lessons. We’re not very good. (We’re pretty bad, really.)
That’s likely because we’ve never gotten past the beginner stage. The instructor gives us the steps but when we try to put them to music, we always miss some and throw in extras. We’re expending so much energy in the process that we’re anything but graceful and exhausted when we’re finished.
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