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Library Love

Every night I read my son Cristian a set of bedtime stories. Even at one year old, he loves books and can pick his favorites. One book that always makes the stack is Lola at the Library by Anna McQuinn & Rosalind Beardshaw. It is a short and sweet book about a...

our Chagall story

Twenty-five years ago, we took a train from Madrid to Nice on France’s Côte d’Azur. We, my friend Sarah and I, left our study abroad classmates behind for a holiday trip around Europe. The train was delayed in Marseille, and our basic French didn’t quite help us...

strangers no more

One of the hardest things for me to do as an (extroverted) introvert is starting a conversation with a stranger. Whether it’s a room full of high-powered leaders, folks with a common interest, or even little kids, gatherings can be anxiety-inducing for me. It makes it...

shedding skin

Growing up in the 80s and 90s in the Midwest, everyone wanted golden tan skin. My friends and I went to tanning beds to get a “base tan” so that we could then slather on baby oil and lay out on the beach during Spring Break and over the summer.  With my Filipina...

you be you

A step beyond knowing ourselves is acting on and living in that knowing. How often do we hide or ignore our true selves so that we can get along? We mistakenly think that building relationships is easier if we act as we are expected to and do what the world tells us...

saints and souls

Pre-Covid my brothers and I alternated taking my mom to church on Sunday. The cemetery where my dad has been buried for eight years is on the drive home. After mass, my mom likes to stop there, clean off his gravestone, change the flowers, and greet him.  “Hello...