ArcaMax

By pure luck, I traveled to Walt Disney World with my husband and my son just last week between hurricanes Helene and Milton. Milton made landfall in Florida as a category 3 hurricane. We planned this vacation months ago according to our son's fall break from school.

This trip was our first family vacation that didn't revolve around also ...Read more

Someone recently told me, "The minute I took this job, I became part of the problem." I'd never thought of it that way before but instantly understood what they meant. They work within a government system, a completely different profession than me, but I couldn't help but come back to that phrase again and again. It also applied to me and ...Read more

Last week I met a man struggling to understand the world and his place in it. We'll call him Bo. Bo's having marital problems and is contemplating divorce. My husband has been spending time to help him sort through it. While talking with Bo, it was obvious that this man doesn't know who he is.

The worst part is that it's how he was raised.

By ...Read more

Gun violence is not just an urban issue. As rural community members along I-75 near Daniel Boone National Forest in Kentucky say things like "this is unheard of here" after a gunman shot at cars driving on the highway, they are forced to grapple with the fact that this American atrocity has found their door.

Gun violence does happen there. It ...Read more

The cheap shots are everywhere now that we're in the thick of election season, and it matters. It's everywhere. It's on social media and even on television "news" and commentary shows. People we look to for thoughtful election analysis are wasting valuable time making fun of candidates over things that are not relevant. Whether it's making fun ...Read more

Some parents like to say, "School is my kids' job." School is important, sure, but I preferred work to school as a teen. It gave me access to a seemingly adult world where I could learn job skills, hone communication skills and build confidence in my abilities.

I'm not cut out for the classroom. I'm more of a learn-by-doing person. This made ...Read more

When I told my neighbor that my son had sisters 15 and 19 years older than him, her eyes flew open. She wasn't shocked; she was so relieved to hear this and had questions. Her son is about to turn 2 and she's been feeling the pressure to have another baby now instead of waiting. Women hear so much advice when it comes to children, and one of ...Read more

Every reader has a favorite book and a favorite author. Every parent has a one they'd love to pass on to their children. In our family, that author is W. Bruce Cameron, and in a plot twist, he's an author my daughter and I discovered together.

Cameron's book "A Dog's Purpose" hit the shelves in 2010, and though an adult novel, it quickly became...Read more

I don't have a favorite Olympic sport. I'm not an athlete. High school marching band was my team sport. But I do love the Olympic Games, and for me, it's all about the stories -- stories of perseverance, camaraderie and sportsmanship. I love watching athletes show us what they're made of and who they really are by how they rise to the ...Read more

When Kamala Harris was elected vice president, I cried happy tears. Now, our country has the prospect of watching Harris become our first female president, and I'm trying to pinpoint and articulate exactly what this means to me.

President Joe Biden defeated former President Donald Trump once, but I wasn't excited about a Biden ticket this ...Read more

If I don't schedule downtime as a way to set boundaries and focus on the things that matter to me, then it just doesn't happen, which leaves me feeling burned out and overwhelmed. Let me explain.

I had taken Monday off work and planned to spend it alone. Maybe I'd read a book or catch up on chores around the house and my favorite podcast at ...Read more

After the assassination attempt on Donald Trump, this is what I know for sure. Gun violence can happen to anyone, anywhere and at any time. It is truly America's great equalizer. It touches the rich and the poor. It happens at nightclubs, movie theaters, the mall, while grocery shopping or even if you are asleep in your bed like Breonna Taylor. ...Read more