It’s a warm April night in Berkeley when I get the call. We have friends over for dinner and we are out on the porch eating linguini with pesto and tomato salad. I hear the ringing and bring my glass …

“Mommy, my ear hurts!” Crap. I can feel the fever emanating from Simon’s skin. Our family is in Boulder, Colorado visiting my Aunt Meridith. It never fails. Every vacation longer than a week ends up with the need for a …

I feel trapped. My Grandmother Estie’s red BMW is in my mother’s driveway. The car is for me to use, just in case. But I won’t drive it. I can’t. With all this stress the best I can do about …

My mom has breast cancer. At only 60, she is way too young to be sick. I’m on the airplane to Milwaukee alone. Saying goodbye to my children was hard, but I know that Jack is perfectly capable of caring …

On the phone with my mother, I feel her out on a plan I have. I am hoping to grow up. I say, “Mom, we want to refinance our mortgage now that the rates are down. I want to be …

We disembark from the airplane into a blast of Southern California heat and sunshine. Jack carries Gus, and I watch as Simon, wide-eyed, climbs down the stairway and walks down the tarmac outside — where you can look up and …