As part of my focus on embracing life this year, I've been working at learning to accept life as it is, being with what is so. What does that even mean? It means that when something unexpected happens, instead of freaking out and trying to change it, I take a deep breath, remind myself to trust that this is what needs to happen right now, and that ( Read more... )

The Carolina beaches have always held a special place in my heart, which you probably know if you've read my debut novel, Breathing. This week I've been at one of those Carolina beaches with my extended family. The one we chose this time is one of the widest beaches you'll ever see, the water as calm as a lake and as warm as a bath, the sun as hot ( Read more... )

Have you ever noticed how beautiful it is to watch someone reach their dream-come-true?

1. My baby brother and his wife brought their first baby into the world yesterday. It was a rough pregnancy, but that only made the outcome all the sweeter. I feel so much joy for them. And it's also made me all nostalgic for when my kids were itty bitty It's ( Read more... )

I've had a number of aspiring writers ask in recent weeks, how do you stay positive and hopeful in the face of rejection? It's a tough question. The answer begins with this: all writers face rejection, all of them. And the difference between the ones who succeed and the ones who don't is often a matter of persistence. You just don't give up.

So for ( Read more... )

Yesterday another YA author died from cancer. I didn't know Bridget Zinn other than through an auction I participated in to raise money for her medical expenses. But I was pulled in by her story, by the way she and her boyfriend got married in the hospital after her diagnosis. Isn't that beautiful? I think they had another wedding later on, too, ( Read more... )

It comes in silence to the listening ear
A whisper you can just barely make out
So easy to miss in the bustle of a busy day.
It won't come if you're planning for it,
if you invite it to tea and give it a particular place at the table.

It might come under the table,
or in the closet, or under the bed.
It won't come because you have a daily goal or a ( Read more... )

Yes. That's the answer to the question above. You have to do both. And you have to know when to do which. It's confusing. But it works.

We've been struggling for months now, trying to find an alternate solution for our son for middle school for the fall. Our local public school is designated as "a failing school." We sent our daughter there anyway ( Read more... )

I come from a long line of anxious people. It's in my blood. I can pretty much always find something to worry about. I'm an expert worrier. But I've also come a long way in learning to see the other side, learning to be okay with not knowing, learning to love the questions. It's hard. And I often need reminders. But I'm getting there.

There are a ( Read more... )

Do you ever feel like life is whirling around you so fast, you can't catch your breath? Or maybe you're so hopeful about something that might happen in the future you can't focus on the present? Today's Friday Five is dedicated to stopping the madness, finding our way back to calm. This is key for everyone, but writers in particular have a way of ( Read more... )

My writing group was inspiring last night. I thought I'd share with you the exercise that moved me in the hope that whether or not you're a writer, it might move you, too. The prompt was a Mary Oliver poem called "Messenger" If you're not familiar with Mary Oliver, her poems tend to be her observations of the world. Only she sees the world ( Read more... )