Trust the Path

One morning a few days after last month’s snowstorm, I hopped into our all-wheel-drive Subaru and buckled my seatbelt, off to WriterHouse in Charlottesville. I pointed the car down the mountain road, which had not been plowed. Over night, slushy snowmelt had frozen...

Waiting

Yesterday, I rolled up the 100-light illuminated garland looped over the loft railing and put away the rest of the Christmas decorations. Hand towels printed with scenes of snowmen, jingle bells, and reindeer will get laundered today then stored. Only the poinsettia...

Approval

Our dogs look to Keith and me for approval. “Good girl, Freya,” we say, “good boy, Heathcliff,” when they’ve obeyed a command. We often stroke them, too, even when they haven’t done anything, just because we love them. Heathcliff likes approval but loves routine....