Careening Down

  I found this in my kitchen drawer this morning. It’s a lemon zester. I don’t think I have ever zested a lemon. I’m not sure what possessed me to purchase a lemon zester…I’ve never been into cooking. I am so glad I bought it though.    Because, about 22 years ago, this lemon zester went everywhere with us. When my oldest son was two years old, he was very imaginative, very spirited, and very much wanting to be like a grown-up. He wanted to use tools and fix things. This kid was always a little too smart for my own good though and he recognized the difference between a real tool and a toy. Little, brightly colored, hollow plastic hammers and screwdrivers were not cutting it for him. We tried some that looked real- they had plastic wood grain handles, and gray metallic looking blades and heads. Even those weren’t convincing him. He wanted a real tool to use. So I found the lemon zester, still shiny new (maybe even in the package?!) and I gave it to him. There w...

  I am 50 years old. I’ve had half a century of life experience. What do I have to show for this significant amount of living? 20 years of growing up (challenging years that I survived) 28+ years of marriage 26+ years of parenting 5 pregnancies 1 adoption journey (that took 3 years) 6 children 30 foster children 15 students I have taught in school 20+ years of formal teaching (homeschooling + classroom) A handful of treasured friends 18+ years of formal schooling as a student 1 completed novel (which sold dozens of copies) 1 CDA credential 1 house I have made into a home (+ 1 townhouse & 2 apartments) 4 states I have lived in (PA, OH, MO, FL) 40 years of struggling with exercise and weight obsession Zillions of mood swings and big emotions 1, 2, 3 mental illness diagnoses (depression, anxiety, anorexia) A lifetime of Catholicism 6 sacraments received (baptism, communion, reconciliation, confirmation, marriage, anointing of the sick) A few...