Winter finally came.  Driving north, the temperatures fell and the cold settled in my bones.  I’d been so wrapped up in the excitement of spending Christmas in Syracuse at my parents’ house with Charming that I’d forgotten what it’s like to write outside in single-digit weather, engulfed in a blanket of white.  And while the … Continue reading Bridge to Joy

The deceptive warmth of this December evening challenges the holiday theme of my street, the darkness punctuated by houses alight scattered up and down the block.  I find myself still and contented in a near completeness that’s eluded me in recent weeks, comforted by a reprieve from the cold, both in the climate around me … Continue reading Seeking Joy

When I most desperately long for all the spheres of my life to align, that’s when everything is almost comically tossed into orbit.  Contrary to the mood set by twinkling lights around me that illuminate the opaque clouds of breath, I’m not calm or enchanted.  Sitting here loathing the biting winter, I inch my patio … Continue reading Maybe Merry and Bright

The first time Charming told me he was taking me to the mall after a tour of The Pentagon, I imagined one with stores in it.  Like The US Capitol Building in the D.C., The Mall in the nation’s capital is singularly significant.  Capitalization and spelling matter more, it seems, when situated amongst matters of … Continue reading Skating from Grace