ADHD: The Late Diagnosis Club

October is ADHD (Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder) Awareness Month. Ironically, this is the first October of my life that I am aware that I have ADHD. My diagnosis anniversary is coming up on November 6. My psychiatric ARNP supplied the missing piece of the puzzle during my appointment that day. Until about six years ago, my

The Turning

Around the end of July, I start looking for signs of the turning. The turning from one season to the next. In Iowa, it’s most easily noted by the color of the corn tassel. When the corn shoots up a tassel – the color is a pale yellow. As the weeks go on, the tassel

Where my roots run deep

I’ve returned to my hometown twice in the past week. It’s a three-plus hour drive one way. The first visit last week was to spend time with a few close loved ones. While I was there, I learned that a dear family friend had unexpectedly passed away. Leo was so completely hale and hearty that

The Aunts

Aunts and Aunties have been on my mind these past few days. Thursday was my Aunt Lois’s birthday and my kids’ Auntie Kim and I toasted her enjoying wine on a sidewalk patio that evening. Last night, my kids and I met up with a dear friend whom I haven’t seen in person in years.

Why we need to grieve in community

We’ve spent more than a year grieving in isolation and participating in memorial services and funerals via live internet feeds. While it was the best that we could do under extraordinary circumstances, it was by no means a reasonable substitute. Logging in to attend such a service made us observers, viewers behind curtains that never

Why I quit my job

From the Gospel According to Brene Brown: “Midlife is when the universe gently places her hands upon your shoulders, pulls you close, and whispers in your ear: I’m not screwing around. All of this pretending and performing – these coping mechanisms that you’ve developed to protect yourself from feeling inadequate and getting hurt – has

Honor

Before dawn on Memorial Day, volunteers meet in Evergreen Cemetery, Red Oak, Iowa to get the flags up before dawn. They have perfected this operation over the years with volunteers of all ages working together to fly the flags of Red Oak veterans. This enterprise started in 1938 when Roy (Percy) Breese visited friends in

The Joys of Reconnecting with Friends

Last week, The Good Doctors Fauci and Walensky announced that it was time for those of us who are fully vaccinated and immunized to drop the masks. They say that the vaccine is working very well, better than expected even, in stopping the advance of the virus. The big day for our community farmer’s market

WFH or a $30K raise? What’s your choice?

It’s May 15, 2021. I’ve had both doses of the Pfizer Bio n-Tech vaccine and it’s been more than two weeks since my last injection. Science and the CDC now say that I am good to go without a mask.* I have to admit that I’m not entirely sure how I feel about this news.

Rewind: A Faithful Pilgrim Continues to Lead by Example

This post originally appeared on Friday, March 27, 2009 on The View from the Porch A Faithful Pilgrim Continues to Lead by Example A small group of our middle schoolers met at our church this week with their moms. We had two fifth grade boys and one seventh grade boy take part in a Faith