The supper dishes are done, the counters wiped clean, and the yellow Formica table in the kitchen is transformed into my mother's night school.

My mother is not one to share her thoughts or feelings.  Not with me, not with anyone. But I know things.  I listen, I look.  I spy… Read full post »

In 1991 I had my first and only child. My husband came home from work on a Wednesday and announced he'd been laid off. I went into labor on Thursday.

I never planned to work after having a baby. I wanted one child, had that one child, and now I wanted… Read full post »

The "L" is moving along towards downtown Chicago on this Good Friday. It is not yet too crowded, only a couple of people are standing. I am looking out the window, reading the graffiti, wondering if the people living by the tracks just get used to the sound of a train… Read full post »

We are taking a road trip this week. Twelve hours along the flattest states I've ever been through. Miles and miles of corn fields.  NPR and ESPN on the radio.

The first time we did this drive we dropped the girl off at school. Freshman year, the hardest year for everyone.… Read full post »

 Spring Flowers, of course~ 

A goose~ 

 A labyrinth~

Horse and rider in Rock Creek Park 

Clusters of beauty~ 

Valentine's Day donut~

Miss Frizzle's Magic School Bus 

&n… Read full post »

We are ready.  The sheets on the bed are washed, the wrinkles are smoothed out with loving hands. Four hands ready to welcome her home. One pair of hands gets the last of the laundry done, the other shops for the favorite foods. 

Our hearts are ready too. We long for… Read full post »

Cherry Blossom season in Washington, DC  is almost here. The sea of pink, the heady, intoxicating bursts of beauty, it's something I look forward to every year.

There is smaller beauty here in Spring. Quiet and less showy.  No less blissful, no less intoxicating. You just have to look clos… Read full post »

Mrs. H, do you like constellations? The third grader stops me in the library. I found the big dipper twice. I tell him I look at the sky every chance I get. I look at his sweet face.  I ask him if he's ever found Orion's Belt.  It's an easy one to find,… Read full post »

Someone called the police on my husband today.  It's happened before and it will happen again. It will happen again because my husband is Black. 

When his daughter was three, the store in our neighborhood called the police. Suspected of shoplifting a tiny patent leather purse. He wanted it… Read full post »

My grandfather's name was Samuel. When I was four, I started calling him Percy.

 Every Saturday, I sat on his lap in a lawn chair in the back yard. My mother and I picked him up from The Home around noon, and drove him back after dinner. As soon as we… Read full post »

My daughter calls and tells me about a writing assignment she needs to do for one of her journalism classes. The assignment is to ask someone about a defining moment and write about it as briefly as possible.  Do you think Dad will be okay if I ask about his brother?… Read full post »

After the child left, there was quiet. Unnatural but not yet uncomfortable. It had always been lively before, one child filling up all the empty cracks and crevices like glue. 

Each day, he walks in from work, shouts a hello, opens the refrigerator. She is there, buttoning her heavy coat. I… Read full post »

The view from my window is pretty dull. No matter which room you are standing in, it all looks pretty much the same.  Fortunately, I have friends with remarkable views of the city. For this Open Call, I borrowed a few of their windows.

The mural of Marilyn Monroe is my… Read full post »

This week I am teaching a third grade class. This particular class is one of my favorites. Like the rest of the elementary school, it is a mix of black and white, Asian and Latino, rich and poor. 

We sit cross-legged in morning meeting. Each child gets a turn to speak.… Read full post »

It happens the same way every year. I don't remember the day my mother died until I look at the calendar. I am writing, "6:00 dinner reservations," and see that the date is December 30. One year I wrote, "Dumplings, 2:00." I was unsure whether to keep the date with friends,… Read full post »

 All is calm, all is bright~

 The Capitol Reflecting Pool 

 The Menorah on the National Mall

The fifty states, DC, and all the territories are represented by a tree~It's always a mob scene because people want a picture in front of their tr… Read full post »

This morning I am hanging the ornaments on the Christmas tree. I'm late to it this year. I am impressed by how neatly I have put them away from last year. Each one carefully wrapped in its own piece of white tissue, nestled neatly in the box. 

It's the unwrapping that… Read full post »

Okay, lets get this downstairs. The large man is referring to our large leather couch. It is big and cumbersome and he thinks I will be able to help him get it downstairs to the curb. We are donating this beautiful monstrosity to Goodwill. Their only stipulations are that there be… Read full post »

John Lennon was not my favorite Beatle. I loved him mostly because he and my brother looked so much alike. 

When my brother was in high school, the Beatles were huge. Being ten years younger than my brother, I learned about the Beatles from him. I sat on the edge of… Read full post »

I walked through McPherson Square yesterday where the protestors have set up camp in this little park for the last two months. I was struck by the number of DC police officers surrounding the perimeter. None in riot gear, just kind of hanging out, shooting the breeze with each other. I… Read full post »

 The nights my mother and I went to the Manhattan restaurant for dinner were special. It meant a break from cooking for her, and for me, it meant eating whatever I liked. We both knew it was a short reprieve from what was waiting at home. I sipped my Shirley Temple… Read full post »

The last place I wanted to be on "Black Friday" was a shopping mall. I wanted fresh air, wide open spaces, and lots of natural beauty. The National Arboretum in Washington, DC  turned out to be the perfect choice. 

The Arboretum is located in the NE quadrant of the city, close… Read full post »

Sometimes you are the giver and sometimes you are the taker, I tell my daughter on the phone. But you can never be just one, because the relationship will die.  We are talking about friendships, she and I. At twenty, she is figuring out friendships just as I am, even though I… Read full post »