Last week as I was tidying the basement, the bin of my childhood memorabilia caught my eye. Through the clear plastic, I spotted a pink journal with a floral print. I was drawn to the journal, one that my mom used to write to me periodically. The first entry was from my 9th birthday, and she told me about the day of my birth.

My theme for 2022 is “unfinished.”

This morning was the perfect example of how parenthood is so damn hard and yet so rewarding.

Once Oliver (age 4) caught on to the pattern of receiving gifts at final playdates for the season and people we wouldn’t see until after Christmas, he was hooked. So, naturally, when a family member came to visit a week before Christmas, he asked me, “will she bring me a present?”