Category: women
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To My Dad, Nearly One Year After His Last Birthday
Note: I wrote and read this to my dad on his birthday nearly a year ago. He passed away in February. I would give anything to read it to him again this year. As I looked out the window this morning at the flecks of white gliding down gently, I thought of a not-so-gentle snow,…
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To Be
I stare into the dusk wondering if life is a collection of moments or are my moments a collection of me. A bird bobs and weaves on the line of the horizon, acting out the ups and downs of what it means to just be. The faint sound of the wind carries with it a…
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Skating
When I am on skates, I feel invincible. It is me, wheels, movement, and music. Everything else just fades away. It started when I was seven. I lived on skates in the summer and was a rink rat during the winter. I discovered it was the perfect thing for Midwesterners to do all four to…
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Quit
I have so many reasons to quit writing. I have people depending on me. I love my job, the people, and I want to keep growing. I want to keep growing my children and my marriage, too. My waistline is growing, and I want to exercise more. I can’t wish more hours into a day.…
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Leaves
Leaves. Leave. Leaving. They exit their trees gracefully. What if all exits were graceful and all ends expected? The leaves are on a timer. So are we all. Our timer just lacks predictability. This has been a year of loss for me. The leaves this fall have been oddly comforting. I know they leave their…
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Fall
Fall is an ice cream sundae on fire. Underneath the fire, there is a crystal cold making it’s way to the surface of everything. On top, is the generous sprinkle of exploding color that begins with a slow burn until it can’t control itself. Nothing melts from this fire though. The crisp cold and brightly…
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Season
My team member, as he left the office today for the last time, headed for his new career adventure, told me we had a good season together. It made me happy, but it also challenged my notion of a season. I live in Michigan to fully experience the four seasons of nature. I get howthose…
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Sunkissed
When the sun kisses my hair through the breeze cracks of a shade bearing tree, I feel beautiful. The sun nor the tree care about how old I am, for one, if not both, have been here longer than me. In this moment, I don’t need to reach for anything. I am just here, feeling…
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Presenting
For the first time in three years, I gave an in-person presentation at work. My team helped me craft and deliver it, and we shared our passion for our work, which ultimately helps special education students in our state. Driving into the office that morning, I had the worst nerves. I had forgotten how to…
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Band
Next to a field of wildflowers, under the last of the summer moons, we hosted a bonfire for my son’s marching band. As diverse as those flowers, the musicians gathered around a volleyball net and played, laughed, and lived fully in this moment of youth. I remembered my son, little and indignant. He was quiet,…
Kelly Rogers 