Featured WIRL of the Moment

Reality – What It’s Really Like

Reality – What It’s Really Like

This post is part of a series titled, “A-B-Cs – What It’s Really Like”. Each week a new letter and its word will be revealed. Each word’s explanation will illustrate significant personal meaning, application and ultimately demonstrate, What It’s Really Like… Back in 1998 MTV debuted the reality TV s... Read More »

Previously Featured WIRLs

Letter to My Kindergartener | WIRL Project

The Kindergarten Milestone – The First of Many Lasts

To my third child on her entry to kindergarten: I’m not sure why kindergarten is the milestone that it is. After all, you are a baby used to being in childcare. I am accustomed to dropping you off, handing you into someone else’s loving and capable hands for the hours I have spent working. After five years of childcare and two children before you, I should be used to this by now. But this is kinde... Read More »

Comedy of Cancer | WIRL Project

The Comedy of Cancer

(What’s it really like to hear you have cancer…a second time) Have you ever had that moment when your phone rings and a feeling rushes over you of “this can’t be good”? As I answered my phone in the midst of cooking a weekday dinner for my family, I heard my doctor’s voice and I just knew… there was no doubt what he was about to say was not good. I’d heard the words before and this time I ca... Read More »

Perfect Start to the Day and Breakfast of Champions

Perfect Start to the Day and Breakfast of Champions

For the past two plus years, I’ve started my day by pleasantly waking up to Daft Punk’s Lose Yourself to Dance which quite possibly could be the best wake-up call ever. No more jolting awake to some terrible repetitive beeping sound. This tune starts slowly and quietly, and builds up into an awesome catchy beat. Definitely check it out. https://youtu.be/NF-kLy44Hls Then I typically scr... Read More »

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

  My MOLE is only skin deep. My skin won’t stop me because it does not define me or who I am. As a child growing up, we all saw witches in the movies. They were old, ugly women with long hair and a GIANT MOLE, most of the time, on their nose or somewhere on their face. Or we all laughed seeing Austin Powers in Goldmemeber making fun of Fred Savage‘s character “the mole”... Read More »

Angel Bumps | WIRL Project

Angel Bumps

I met my guardian angels over ten years ago. It seems so trite to say it was a time in my life when I was running on empty. Hell, if I was a car, the gas tank would have rusted out completely. There’d have been a huge hole in the bottom that leaked gas as I pumped it in. They were my lost years. I really had nothing left to give…to anyone. My oldest of five, has emotional disabilities. Next in lin... Read More »

Be Careful – and Thankful – What You Wish For

  Years ago, while living a life that is very different than the life I’m living now, a writer whose opinion meant a lot to me (both then and now) told me that a story of mine I had asked him to read was, well, let’s just say I’ve heard nicer things said about ax murderers.   I was so agitated by this writer’s criticism that I stormed to my writing desk, saying You wan... Read More »

Being a Work at Home Mom

If my 14 year old wouldn’t kill me, I would take a picture to show you what is happening right now in our house. But first, let’s rewind just a bit… Yesterday when I picked my daughter up from school she was coughing, her nose was running, and she had a sore throat. So we stopped at the store on the way home to pick up the essentials.. medicine, kleenexes, cough drops, and juice.... Read More »

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

My Skin Won’t Stop Me

  My acne is only skin deep. My skin won’t stop me because… I know that I am beautiful, with or without pimples on my face. I know that real, genuine people get to know me for me, they see past my exterior and love me for who I am as a person on the inside. Those little red bumps on my face give me strength. I’ve cried in the mirror more times than I can count, but I’v... Read More »