Knocking On Heaven’s Door
My earliest memories are of my grandmother, Gaga, and me walking the beach, searching for shells and making sand castles. They are my fondest memories, forever imprinted in my mind and held close to my heart. Gaga is 92 and while I always tell people she ‘is kicking and doing great’ that isn’t the whole truth. Yes, given […]
2015: Shitting Rainbows
shitting rainbows It’s my favorite saying. If you’ve ever heard me speak about my journey to recovery and life thereafter then you’ve heard me say it plenty. Unless there were teachers in the room, then I try to clean up my act for school kiddies. So what does it mean? Exactly what you think. My […]
Facing Ghosts
Today I earned a new piece of flare to pin on my Mom Vest. The “My Son Projectile Vomited All Over Me” is now proudly sewn on my vest. Awesome. Poor little guy is sick. Thankfully, not with a stomach bug, but with a horrendous cough that led to the previously mentioned situation. I did […]
My Birthday Wish to Disappear
12.07.2010 “…happy birthday dear McCall. Happy birthday to you.” As the birthday song ended, I leaned over and blew out the candles teetering atop the chocolate cake. I smiled and made a wish just like a good girl should. But on this particular birthday five years ago, my wish was drastically different than previous years. I […]
Why Ellen Degeneres is Not Special
She appears everyday in our living rooms. We sit down, DVR, dance, laugh and of course, cry with her. She is our best friend, our sister. Ellen Degeneres is many things, but the one thing she is not is special. My heart shattered on Wednesday as I watched her show get interrupted once again with breaking […]
Mom Fear: Speak It, Shout It
Guest blog written for New Orleans Mom Blog … Anxiety built through my veins like a warehouse fire. I was leaving my daughter, Marjorie, for the first time with a sitter I did not know. I was flying to speak at the National Eating Disorder Association conference in California. I would be gone three days. […]
To My Darling Daughter On Your First Birthday
To my darling daughter, One year ago, my world came crashing down and you came kicking in. Small, but mighty, you proved that size means nothing. Born into this world at 2:08pm, the nurse quickly held up your tiny 1-pound, 15-ounce body and took you away. I didn’t get to hold you or nuzzle you or even […]
Picking Up the Phone
Today, the matriarch of our family turns 92, just eight years short of a century. Just like century old oaks, Gaga is a pillar of unwavering strength. She is full of beauty and filled with stories that her eyes have seen, but she rarely tells. Gaga is quiet like the oak, soaking in life around her in […]
Finding Our Way Home
Yesterday I woke up feeling achy, nauseous and plain old sick. At first, I chalked it up to the extra glass of wine last night while enjoying a quiet movie with Jordan, but as the day wore on I knew wine was not the culprit. It was way worse than a wine headache. I couldn’t […]
The Gift of Receiving
Growing up, I was your All-American Catholic school girl. I rocked the plaid uniform, penny loafers, went to mass and stood in line (well sometimes). Beginning in middle school and especially in high school, we were required to do service hours. From soup kitchens to mission trips, girls raced to finish their hours at the […]