I was dreamin' of tomorrow so I sacrificed today... You think there's gold in me, but I'm fractured and weak... In my head, Eminem is rapping these lines about brokenness and second chances.
second chances
Voting for President While Packing for Spain—This Time I Won’t Order Make-Up for My Bread
I voted for the platform in politics today. With my first husband, I did the same—ignored the holes in character my journals documented. Tomorrow I fly to Madrid where Mulan and I once laughed about my ordering "maquillaje" instead of "mantequilla." This time I'm voting for Charming, character and platform both.
Why I Never Graduated from the College I Loved
Thirteen years later, I finally returned to Wheaton with the man I'd met there as strangers. Here's what I learned about the scars that build character and the dreams we bury too soon.
Second Chances and Fresh Canvases: Painting a New Life After Divorce
A paint-and-sip date night became an unexpected metaphor for marriage, failure, and the grace of starting over. Sometimes you need to paint an entirely different picture.
The Piano I Left Behind and the Love I Found Again
I left our piano with my ex-husband because playing it without him felt like a lie. Seven years later, at a wedding with someone new, I discovered what second chances really mean.
Playing LIFE with My Boyfriend Taught Me What’s Missing: There’s No Divorce in Board Games
I sued Charming three times and still felt jealous of his blue-peg children. In Hasbro's LIFE, marriage is guaranteed—a mandatory stop for all players. But neither of us had instructions for when real marriages bite the dust. Maybe that's why we keep playing: we still have a chance to get it right.
What My Herb Garden Taught Me About Planting Seeds After Divorce
Saturday's 40 mph winds had me worried about my newly planted seeds. But gardens teach us this: we can't know which seeds will thrive, go dormant, or blow away. We plant anyway, because the potential for future joy is worth the calculated risk.
The Selfie I Took in the Storm That Changed Everything
After our perfect second date, I sat on my porch in the hurricane rain and captured something I hadn't felt in years: hope. Here's why I almost didn't write about it.
The Oak Tree Fell in February, but I’m the One Who Got Replanted
For months, the hollow oak lay in my backyard—an eyesore, then a barrier, then a mirror. Like that tree, I'd stood tall in Nashville while rotting inside. But somewhere between Syracuse's disposal and Hampton's soil, a seed found new ground.
Writer's Growth 