On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, five months into my cancer treatment and three-quarters of the way through my chemotherapy, my website, http://www.afittingreply.com went live. I chose the longest possible commitment period- ten years- and paid in advance to secure my website. I committed to posting twice weekly. There have been days like today when I …
No More Wasted Time
When our kids aren’t sleeping or eating appropriately, we look at what’s going on in the moment to try and find a reason. The problem, however, most likely stems from something further back than we tend to look. Maybe they were exposed to a germ last week that has been working against their little systems. …
Same But Different
Four grandchildren, similar in so many ways, bear traces of genetic code passed through familial lines from our forebears beyond the five generations for which I can account. I am so much Myrtle passed through David to me, but I am also Ansel through Joyce. The lines expand each time a marriage happens and the …
This Is Hard
Thomas puked in the car again, effectively destroying a third car seat in his three short years. When I asked if he felt like he needed to be sick, he said, “I don’t,” but, according to his mom, commenting from the driver’s seat afterwards, he meant, “I don’t want to!” Then he did. He retched …
Angels Unaware
Thomas turns three today but he doesn’t live in town so we celebrated his birthday early at the zoo. We saw some animals, rode the carousel, and hiked a mile uphill to hit the splash pad before lunch. It was hot, mighty hot, so we lingered over lunch and walked through the aquarium before heading …
Believe It Or Not
“I want to see the barn!” said Amelia for the fifteenth time. She watches to a video about a farm with a barn and there is a cow and chickens. We were visiting my parents for the day and her dad had gone to the barn with my dad to work on his lawnmower. I …
More Than Curious
I’ve enjoyed a small herb garden on my kitchen table several times over the past few years, but in my current season when staying over with new grand babies takes precedence, the herbs, with the exception of a lone basil plant, have gone by the wayside. I had hoped that placing them out front where …
Who’s Leading?
“Amelia,” I voiced in my most animated Lolly accent. “Let’s go take Jake outside and check the mail. You need your shoes.” She plopped down on the welcome mat, waiting for help with her slip-ons, then she ran out the door ahead of me, alternately dancing and running every step of the way. My granddaughter …
Searching For The Source
An isolated patch of moonlight shone on the floor at the foot of my bed. I’m up at all hours of the night and I had never seen this spot before so I stepped across it, searching for its origin. A full moon was just a day or two away. There were no clouds in …
In The Know
I took one required geography course in college and nearly failed the test on the continent of Africa because the atlas I used to study was out of date. Things change quickly in some parts of the world and by the time this particular volume came to print, it was probably already obsolete. There are …
A Fitting Reply 