David, the last of my children, turned twenty (20) years yesterday. Twenty! Incredible! So now I am also older. And the baby becomes a man. As the man becomes an older man. 😅🙄😅! I recall that one of the reasons I relocated my family to Ikorodu, far away from Iju, Agege was to give me an opportunity to be near them  as they went through Secondary School, Power fields College (formerly NEPA Staff…

I want to breathe into my sadness when it comes up and cry when I need to. I want to live in the moment before me, with clarity, grace, and thankfulness. Alcohol-free Holiday Season? Yes you Can... join me

It’s that time of year again, when almost everything I see and hear triggers old memories of past Christmases. For at least 20 years I drank my way through the holidays, in part to blank out the sadness and grief those memories often conjured as my family grew and left home, my social circle shrank, and my celebrations became smaller and more muted. This is going to be my second sober Christmas…

Review: Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories by Kelly Ripa

Live Wire: Long-Winded Short Stories by Kelly Ripa My rating: 5 of 5 stars This was a fun book. Sure, Kelly comes to our living room before coffee, way overdressed for our sloppy morning PJs. I think she had coffee way earlier than we did. Especially here on the west coast. Just a quick aside: Aren’t you tired of waking up to New York if you live here in the west? Anyway, back to the book. I had…

This has been such a busy day that I can’t believe it is already over. Where did the hours go? I did finish a sock. Oh, I had my NaNo project, Crystal, open all day and I was actually working on the character developments I needed. And Check☑ I got one out of 8 done. And I copied the story from yWriter to WriteItNow. But during all that I was watching season 4 of Dawson’s Creek. It’s so sad to…

Otherhood...The Movie The storyline in the movie hit home for me. I have two adult children. It’s not that they do not contact me on Mother’s Day or call me often, but I know they do

As we gear up for the kick-off of our 8-day devotional with Transparent Moments, I had the opportunity to watch the movie Otherhood now on Netflix. This movie is an afternoon delight for mothers with older children, and an excellent film for adult children to understand mothers.

I made a social media post about the movie and learned that many moms not only watched it but encouraged their adult…

I don’t miss NYC as much as I thought I would; there’s still so much to explore in Chicago!

This time last year, was my last week in my New Jersey home. This was the week the movers took our stuff away and we turned our keys over to the new owners. This is the week I had one last great party with my friends before heading for I-80 West.

The predictions about what I was going to miss about New Jerseywere pretty accurate. Kurt was right about pizza, Chinese food, and spring.  My daughter…

We should never stop growing, and learning, and must remain active. Whether we are talking mind, body, or spirit, if we don’t continue to feed growth, we die.

Several years ago I was looking though the YMCA brochure that had come in the mail. After seeing all the wonderful activities in a section titled “active seniors” I said to myself, but out-loud, “I want to be an active senior.” My husband who had been in ear-shot acted like it was the funniest thing I ever said. I was still a few years shy of 50.

I have always believed that we should never stop…

No monumental story to be shared with her children someday down the road. Just a very quiet and peaceful time together. The “difficult teenage years” were behind us.

Although my daughter went “home” to New Jersey for the better part of the Thanksgiving break, we did get to spend some time together before and after her trip. And you know what? I’m starting to understand why empty-nesting parents miss their kids. Or rather “young adults” and that’s the difference.

My mother and I grew closer after I started college which I always attributed to her missing me…