It is just a few days after some stunning election surprises. For many of us a shakeup of seismic proportions has just happened. And obviously I'm still processing a lot of stuff because I've just realized I'm quietly sitting at my old family desk. Really, just sitting here . . . unsure of what brought me to this spot. Maybe I was going to do something about a plan for the day. Got to admit it, though, I just don't remember. I'm just here.

Anyway, I looked up and focused on the shelves in front of me and saw a framed saying that I purchased years ago. It is sitting on the...

I’ve been away – emotionally and mentally. This fall season, though visually stunning, has also been painfully poignant as well as generously compassionate, a bit puzzling. . . and educational. During this hiatus I scrambled for emotional balance – searching for ways to honor my own losses and unravel some confusion while also striving to live more fully in the present – but I just couldn’t seem to find my footing. Maybe it’s because the past eleven months my work has placed me squarely in the tender beauty and unbelievable pain of the lives and deaths of children; maybe...