Kith and Kin

I don’t have any family that is related to me by blood here in my little swath of the Midwest. Most of my blood family lives on the East coast of the United States, though I still have some family in the Golden State as well. But that doesn’t mean I don’t have a family […]

It takes a village

I am a firm believer in the saying “It takes a village to raise a child.” After all, while I don’t have children of my own to raise, I was raised by parents who readily accessed a handful of people to help us out as needed. Aunts and uncles lovingly sent me gifts. Grandparents, both […]

Belonging

Like everyone does, I remember feeling like I didn’t fit in when I was a kid. I often felt like a square peg, as the saying goes. I wanted to be a puzzle piece and find a way to fit in. I was too skinny. I wore glasses. I spoke with a lisp. I had […]