I’ve spent nearly two decades watching my son be comforted by a series of feathered raptors that live in our backyard. His coop full of noisy hens is his sanctuary, the place he feels most understood. I find comfort in silence. A quiet house, a long walk in the woods, or strolling along my favorite ... Read More >>
Health & Wellness
Mommy Sabbatical
I have been to Seattle Children’s Hospital so many times with my son that I’ve become weirdly numb to the routine. I watch, detached, as families walk through the doors seeking answers to impossible questions or treatments for an illness that seems to have no name.I’ve been there. I’ve done ... Read More >>
Caring for Today’s Children of Tomorrow
Each year, two remarkable guilds combine efforts to host the Seattle Festival of Trees at the Fairmont Olympic Hotel in Seattle. This year, the Dr. Forrest Flashman Guild celebrated their 40th year of fundraising for uncompensated care. At the same time, the Autism Center Guild raised money to help ... Read More >>
We are Story People
Last night I shared a meal with eleven incredible women who have made my world a better place just by being in it. We are an eclectic mix of ravenous readers and hard-core book critics who devour all manner of books from the classics, to ‘who-done-it’ mystery, to delicious and provocative fiction ... Read More >>
The Aroma of Yum
“What’s for dinner?” my son Andrew asks me every morning.What’s for dinner? I haven’t figured out how I’ll get out of bed. Barely conscious, I stumble from bed to shower, tugging at the faucet while waiting for the water to run warm.“I like it when the house smells good,” he adds, lingering ... Read More >>
The Art of Being Still
How do we learn to do nothing?
Two years ago I took an MBSR (Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction) class with a girlfriend. Developed by Dr. Jon Kabat-Zin at the University of Massachusetts, MBSR brings together a combination of mindfulness and yoga in order to bring about a unity of the mind and body. Out of desperation to quiet ... Read More >>