The Language of Motherhood

My earliest memory of my mother is of her hands. Strong, soft and sure, one holding me fast by the arm while the other sudsed me up with a soft cotton washcloth. I was sitting in the kitchen sink. It was stainless steel, cramped, and cold against my back, even though it was summer. But...

For my mother…

My soon to be 80-years old mother has battled illness for most of my life. Even now, she is in a hospital several hours and miles of snow-covered road away from where I am.Over the years, she has battled Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, Degenerative Disk Disease, Arthritis, Esophageal illness, and endured many, many surgeries. As...

My Cup Runneth Over

"Mommy, do you have to go to work today?"I stop, turning from the door to give my little boy one more hug. He's sitting on the couch in his pirate jammies, nose stuffed and eyes watering from the head cold that's keeping him from school."Yes, baby. I have to go to work today, but you'll...

We are Fargo

By now, most of us have heard of the Wicked Witch of North Dakota. https://twitter.com/mlucerobertson/status/395934324588949504 She is a woman who has taken it upon herself to judge her fellow "villagers" in the Fargo, Moorehead, and West Fargo triad. Evidently, she feels parents are not doing a good enough job of taking their children's health in...

Forecast for Happiness

Yesterday was going to be special. My husband and I had plans to spend the morning outside with our son - going to the farm park to pick a pumpkin. We took him there for the first time last year, and had a wonderful experience. It had been a beautiful day - cool but sunny...

A Few Words on Love and Motherhood

I had given up on the idea of being a mom. My first husband didn't want children, and by the time I reconnected with my college sweetheart and we married, I was 38 years old. I remember thinking that what I had was enough - a wonderful niece and two nephews, a great-niece and nephew,...