Twelve

Twelve

January 8, 2018. This is twelve. Watching my daughter gaze at the ocean, I want to whisper, “The whole world is yours.” Twelve is a precipice for both of us. She is coming into her own, while I am discovering how to mother my almost teenager. The preview...
Almost Eleven

Almost Eleven

  Last night, I shifted through some old toys from my daughter’s closet. My eye caught the dull yellow of the faux cereal box and my fingers touched the mini-silver pots and pans and in my head I heard her five-year-old voice say, “Momma, do you want...
She’s Not Turning Around

She’s Not Turning Around

I took this picture of my not-so-little girl while she discovered this stream on Baldwin Trail in Sedona. The tilt of her gaze leans forward and she stands on this metaphorical edge. As I took this photograph, several questions sprinted in my head: How did this...
Ten

Ten

Tonight will be the last night I tuck you in as a nine-year-old. Ten will greet us in the morning. Ten. I keep repeating this number over and over. Each time, tears brim in the corner of my eyes. I remember your first bath in our home, a small apartment in Texas. I...

Nine and a Half

I purposely delayed writing this post since it shifts my gaze toward the quick passage of time. Last week, my daughter turned nine and a half – a milestone before she turns double-digits in January. Her long limbs stretch over the sofa and when I try lift her...
Another Milestone… Here and Gone

Another Milestone… Here and Gone

It is the last day of school for my daughter today. This afternoon, we become parents of a 4th grader. As I type these lines, small tears start to form in my eyes. I tilt my head backwards to keep them from streaming down my face. Our morning started the same, a call...