Last summer I spent 10 days in Ukraine at a camp for kids with disabilities. On one of my last evenings there, I sat for two hours on a little slatted wooden bench painted in primary colors and made for butts much smaller than mine. It was July. It was rainy. I was tired. That night, all the ... read more
Close Enough: The Enneagram, Therapy, and Meeting Myself for the First Time
In January I spent a week house sitting for my parents while they were out of town. I slept in their bedroom, so I used their bathroom, too. It's pretty big — big enough for me to spread all of my getting-ready stuff everywhere and make a mess that made it seem like it was my permanent residence. My ... read more
To My Unborn Nephews: Advice for Life on the Outside
Hey, guys. It's me, your Aunt Tara. You're still all-up-in-a-belly, cooking away, getting big and strong and ready for life on the outside. I've been watching you grow for months now, and every time you get bigger, I wonder who's in there. Who will you be? What will you love? How will you shine? I ... read more
The Search: My Fledgling Quest for Answers about Faith, God, and Theology
I have a love-hate relationship with pants. It's usually like 90% hate, 10% love, depending on the pants in question. If you're a generally regular-sized person with a few plus-sized parts, shopping for pants turns into a special kind of torture. My closet is full of high-rise, low-rise, mid-rise, ... read more