My daughter loves nature and science books. I’m a writer, so this perplexes me.

There is a vast world of children’s literature that I, as a reader, would much rather explore than learn about the mating habits of orcas, the many varieties of house cats or the unique properties of volcanic lava.

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I volunteer at my daughter’s school. Sometimes when I’m sharpening pencils or making sock puppets, I wonder if this is really how I’m meant to change the world. Then I picture the mayhem of 30+ Kindergarteners trying to sharpen their pencils at once, and my work feels purposeful, meaningful. Call it the butterfly effect.  read more »

We pulled up to the coffee shop just as the latest news about Haiti came on the radio. Normally, my daughter wouldn’t be listening. She’d be daydreaming, watching cars go by. But I stopped, held breathless by the story of a man waiting for medical help for one of his daughters. His other little girl was already dead.  read more »