My latest book, When Losses Become Legacies: Memoirs on Grief, God, and Glory, is turning one. To celebrate, my co-author, Christy, and I are hosting a print-book giveaway for each of the three weeks starting next Monday, May 8. All of the contests will be open for
Read more →
My family and I left the Chicago area this summer. It was time. Like other areas of the country, Chicagoland has changed, not for the better. Many policies are either unfriendly or downright harmful to families. Crime has soared. Since this time last year, overall crime is
Read more →
Last fall, my family and I visited the Flight 93 Memorial Park in Shanksville, Pa. My son, an airplane enthusiast and student of 9/11 history, suggested it. Everything about the park is a reminder of September 11, 2001—from the Tower of Voices to the Wall of Names
Read more →
Two decades have passed since 9/11, and I still haven’t seen a sky as blue as it was on the East Coast that morning. The crystalline backdrop stood in stark relief to the day’s senseless horror. September 11 unfolded into a day of contrasts: sheer evil and
Read more →“Wow, that was fun!” my sixth-grader says as he darts from the halls of Naperville Christian Academy and bounds my car. “What was fun?” I ask. I assume he’s referring to an exchange with his friends. “The school day, Mom. It was great. A lot of fun.”
Read more →
By Kristina Cowan On March 11, the World Health Organization made official what many anticipated: It called the COVID-19 outbreak a pandemic. Within days, the world closed. Everything from restaurants to businesses to schools shuttered, sending everyone home to “slow the spread.” Work and school from home
Read more →
Have you ever described someone as shallow or superficial? Lacking depth? Most of us offer these unkind character sketches at some point. They’re based on what we see: actions and behaviors. To understand what drives those actions and behaviors, we need to understand a person’s history. In
Read more →
My brother, Jim, would be fifty-four today. We lost him to suicide seven years ago. Like many before, he lost a battle with depression. As of 2018*, suicide was the tenth leading cause of death in the United States. That works out to an average of one
Read more →
What does breastfeeding have to do with postpartum mental health? Plenty. I explored the intersection of these topics recently on the All About Breastfeeding Podcast. Host Lori Isenstadt, a lactation consultant and breastfeeding expert, points out that breastfeeding mismanagement can pose unique hurdles for women with perinatal
Read more →
This week will be one of the worst in U.S. history. The death toll from COVID-19 is expected to soar to a dark summit. The emotional load will be heaviest. We watch daily briefings like children eating vegetables: We hesitate. We flinch. We hold our noses, and
Read more →