They Grow Up so Fast

My mom has been coming over almost every day. My son’s school ends right in the middle of my daughter’s naptime, and I need someone to be home just in case my daughter wakes up while I’m gone. I tried pushing her naptime an hour later which I immediately realized is not a good idea

Change

The first fall leaf on the liquid amber has turned red and fallen. I noticed it this morning when I was in the backyard watering the grass. Living in Southern California, we miss most of the obvious tell-tale signs of seasons changing. According to the calendar, last Wednesday marked the first day of Fall, yet

First Day of School

My oldest started kindergarten today. For the last few nights I have been waking up in the middle of the night worrying about him. I usually wake up around 3 am and a never-ending cycle of questions swirl through my head. What if he’s too nervous to talk? What if he doesn’t make any friends?

I Lied

About two months ago I realized that my ex-boyfriend had moved into my neighborhood. One morning on the way to work I thought I saw him drive by. I drove behind him for a while, wondering what he was doing in my neighborhood. Then I saw him pull over in front of a house just

Death and Love

I’ve always feared death. For a few years when I was little it felt like everyone around me was dying. Within a 5 year span, I had lost both grandfathers, one grandmother, an uncle, and my grandmother’s brother. In my twenties, I lost an aunt and I was talking to my boyfriend at the time

Time to Move On

In late September as my school was preparing to return to in-person learning, I made the heart wrenching decision to take a leave of absence for the rest of the school year. Initially, I had asked for accommodations to continue to teach from home, but I was denied. The way I saw it, I had