The ampersand: a portent that something more is coming. A symbol whose entire purpose is to promise the sentence continues – joining or juxtaposing, complementing or contradicting. It’s presence necessitates an addition. A sentence cannot end with and, so the reader knows there will be more. As I prepare to[Read more]

Right off the bat let me say no, I did not paint this; I just used one of those apps that makes a photo look like a painting. Why? I wanted to give you a glimpse of one of the highlights of my week (speaking to a group about The[Read more]

I have been known by many names throughout my life. One of my all-time favorites was given to me by a classmate of my youngest son. Struggling to think of my name and needing to get my attention, he blurted out “Mrs. Liam’s Mom.” My dad calls me “L.J.” (first[Read more]

This summer, my therapist introduced me to the phrase “embrace the suck,” military jargon that means “to consciously accept or appreciate something that is extremely unpleasant but unavoidable.” (In other words, my life for the last four years.) I’ve railed against the suck. I’ve bemoaned the suck. I’ve medicated and accepted and[Read more]

This is my cutting garden from 2008. I have very little memory of doing anything other than scattering seeds and occasionally watering this patch, but do recall feeling quite accomplished at the bounty it produced. In the 13 years since then, I’ve learned it was all luck and nothing I[Read more]

“What mental health needs is more sunlight, more candor, and more unashamed conversation….” – Glenn Close The Boxwood plant (that’s one of mine, pictured, left) is my spirit plant. Yes, I know most people have spirit animals, but since when have I been like most people? Plus, this bush is[Read more]