Essays + Narratives

I carry pieces of Malaysia with me wherever I go. Literally.  I have specks of dirt from a hiking trail on the island of Penang embedded deep into the skin of my left thigh. When I was in the seventh grade, I attended boarding school there. While trekking out to one of the island’s more […]

My grandmother, who we lovingly referred to as Grandma or Grandma B. during most of my childhood–G.G. once my oldest daughter was born–was the most amazing person I’ve ever known. She survived abuse, single motherhood, an F4 tornado, the police academy, and so much more. Despite every hardship, her heart was full. She loved each […]

In the weeks leading up to my diagnosis, amid numerous doctor visits, ultrasounds, and poking and prodding of biopsies, my husband, Casey, and I were puzzled about this mysterious lump on my breast. In conversations with my doctors and nurses, they kept throwing around this word which–at the time–seemed so vulgar.  “Watch your language!” my […]

It was March 2007. Our lovely daughter, teacher extraordinaire, faithful friend Leslie was diagnosed with stage 3 triple-negative breast cancer, at the age of 31. We were completely broken at hearing the news, something a parent never wants to hear: cancer. No matter their ages our children are still ours—flesh of my flesh, bone of […]

She’s the one you don’t hesitate to text or callor justshow up on her doorstep,suitcase in the trunk, packed with brasthat have been outgrown,the green shirt with the holethat you can’t bring yourself to toss,and a marriage that has expired,rotted past its good-until date. She’s the one who hearsthrough your words,finds the tremble in your […]

We met as teenagers entering adulthood, the way young college students do – through mutual friends and shared love interests. I was reserved and guarded; Erica was extroverted and unexpected. Our first conversation was at a dingy IHOP booth, in the thick of Missouri summers, where the cracked blue plastic cushions stick to your legs […]