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Category: Published Work

My Article in Holl & Lane Magazine

I was thrilled, and terrified, when they accepted it for publication, and I held my breath as it landed in mailboxes all over the country this past January. And when I breathed out, I felt free. Continue reading My Article in Holl & Lane Magazine

MelissaJuly 7, 2019July 18, 2019Leave a comment

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Half mast. Full hearts. #NeverForget

Forget storms. I’ll be chasing sun rays. . #BeTheLight #RayOfLight #RayOfHope #LetTheLightIn #Sunset #CaptureBayPath

Spoiler alert: I am horrible at waiting. Have a book to recommend? I’m adding it to my Amazon cart before you finish telling me about it. Did you casually mention somewhere that would be great to visit? I’m already checking for Airbnbs and what the weather might be like so that I know what to pack. As soon as a good idea comes to mind, I’m three spreadsheets deep into figuring out the next 3826 steps, color coded gantt chart included. . But two years ago, what felt like my entire life got put on hold as I regrouped and recalculated and readjusted and re-whatever else a person can do when their world flips upside down. . And so the things I dreamed about, the things I wanted, the things I couldn’t have waited for before, got put in a box on the highest of shelves, where I knew they’d wait for me. And as new dreams and ideas would come along, I’d allow myself a few moments with them before tucking them away, too. . Almost two years later, it’s finally time for me to open that box to see what’s next, and it’s terrifying. I feel like I’ve lost the ability to not-wait. I don’t know how to get started. I don’t know how to believe that any of the things I want or desire or dream of are meant for me now ... do I deserve them? Can I do it? Is it possible? Am I possible? . I feel SO ready to imagine my future ... but also SO unsure that I am capable of making it happen. I am so unsure that I can create the life I see for myself. And I know that’s my biggest obstacle; I am blocking my own way forward. . Sometimes when I write my feelings, the answer I’m looking for comes through. But not this time. I’ve laid this piece of me dormant for two years, and it’s going to take some time to wake that part of me up. . Tick tick, self. It’s time to wake up. . . . #YouAreMagic #SocialSquares #SelfCare #DontSettle #DreamBig #SelfLove #MakeItHappen

Happy National Dog Day + 1, sweet Sawyer. I knew we were meant to be from the first moment I saw your little puppy photo on the @labs4rescueinc site, and despite chewed up shoes and peed on floors and middle of the night wake ups and sometimes having to base housing choices on places that you can go, too ... I’ve never doubted once that you were meant for me. . You’ve been by my side on my best days, and you’ve nuzzled me in comfort when I’ve been balled up on the floor on my very worst. You’ve protected my sweet R since he was in utero, from the postman, from the UPS driver, from the neighbors, and a few times from strange men who veered a little to close to your kingdom. Caring for you prepared me for motherhood. . I’m not sure how your life started, but I’m forever grateful you came into mine, and I hope to have provided you some of the comfort and assurance you’ve given me every day since April 23, 2011. . Love you, sweet pups. Treats on me. . . . #Labs4Rescue #LabsOfInstagram #DogDaysOfSummer #NationalDogDay #PuppyLove #WhoRescuedWho #WomansBestFriend

Sharing because sharing is caring & this is an excellent way of making someone feel cared for. . It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of therapy. Earlier this year my therapist retired from private practice, and I haven’t had it in me to find someone new. The idea of catching someone up on my life at this point is exhausting. And so, as one does, I just keep putting it off. . After a really tough week where I was struggling, a good friend checked in to see if I was still seeing my therapist, to see if I was still being supported in that way. That alone - asking the question - can be hard and can feel intrusive to ask, but I promise it’s worth the discomfort to make a friend feel seen. . When I said I wasn’t, this was her response. And it was perfect. I asked her if she had the time. She said she’d make the time. I asked her if she was sure. She said she was. And so I passed the weight of this (feels) impossible task to her. . She treated this not as a fragile issue, but as a task that needed completion that she can help with from thousands of miles away. Maybe she can’t pop over for a glass of wine or to eat take out and watch movies, but she can view this as an item on a to do list that I just keep putting off, and she can help me cross it off. . And that, THAT, is an incredible way to support a friend with mental illness. It can feel so hard to find the words when someone you care for is struggling, but sometimes actions speak louder than words. . Offer to find her a therapist. Make the appointment. Drive her and wait in the waiting room. Call her insurance company with questions. . Order her groceries. Pop by to deliver a few frozen meals (and then leave, unless you’re asked to stay. Perhaps leave them on the porch and let her know they’re there). But her your favorite book. Come over with laundry detergent or bathroom cleaning supplies or your Swifer and help her feel her life is a little more in order because her favorite sweats are clean and her kitchen smells like lemons. Watch her kids somewhere outside of her house. . Stretch your feelings of “I’m so sorry” into action. Have another idea? Share it below. Because sharing is caring. ❤️ . PS - Love you L. 😘

My four year old brought his @polaroid camera along on our vacation this week. Every morning, as we’d embark on that day’s adventure, I’d dutifully pack it in my bag, certain he’d want to take a picture of wherever we were heading. . And yet every time I asked him if he wanted to take a picture with his camera, he’d answer with a simple “no thanks, mom,” and go back to the task at hand. . Still, somehow, the film got used up. As I look through his tiny stack of pictures, it was beautiful to see no photos of our adventures. He was too interested in what we were doing and truly living in the moment to even considered being bothered by taking a photo. . The things he did photograph? The people he was with. All of his stuffed babies who made the journey. His bunk bed, where he proudly slept each night. He even “self directed” a few portraits of himself. He enjoyed the moments in the present, but captured the people and places that made this vacation special. . His viewpoint is incredible, and I love seeing tiny moments of our time together through his eyes. Goodness, children can teach us so, so much. ❤️ . . . #CapeCod #Polaroid #ShakeItLikeAPolaroidPicture #BabyLove #BoyMom #BeachLife #ChildhoodUnplugged

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