If you came over to my house, my husband would cook us dinner. He’s an amazing chef and I am not. But I will have baked us something sweet. I don’t believe any meal is complete without dessert- preferably something chocolate. (And I seriously question any recipe that uses dates in lieu of chocolate).

Speaking of “house,” “home” is a very relative term in our family. I’ve had 13 different “home” addresses in a little over thirty years of life. (The best lesson from life on the road- lighter is always better, but be sure to have a can opener.) My husband and I both grew up in Los Angeles, but his career in baseball took us to big cities and to little towns, across the Midwest, throughout the South, and up and down the East Coast. We spent a season of life living along the Gulf Coast of Florida, where we welcomed our daughter into the world. We have now happily returned back “home” to Los Angeles where we plan to stay a while.

On any given day, you might find me exploring the city with my toddler, wiping our kitchen counters (once again), or teaching psychology. I hold a master’s degree in counseling psychology and am a certified K-12 school counselor. At the moment, I use those credentials to teach psychology to college students in film school, and this might be the most fun job I’ve ever had.

I believe so strongly in the power of the story- of the ones my students will tell on our screens, and even more of the ones written by the moments of our lives- of your story and of mine. I believe in the power of our words to bridge divides, to spark hope, to create clarity- to offer peace. And I take Mary Oliver’s “instructions for living” to heart: “Pay attention. Be astonished. Tell about it.” And so here, in this little space on the Internet, I try to tell about it.

If you stay a while, you’ll find essays on the astonishing (mostly, of the ordinary turned extraordinary). On what I’m currently learning (often from the littlest among us). On psychology and on humanity and on faith. You’ll find the stories of one girl, trying to live a life that kindles kindness and kinship.

Thanks for stopping by. I’m so happy that you’re here.

Beyond the Blog

I started this project with the hope of building a space to hold thought kindling for kind living. A place to chronicle words, experiences, and resources that inspire me to live more kindly, to define kinship more broadly, and to remember that the largest lessons in life are often taught by the littlest among us.