My heart is racing, my palms are clammy, and I feel queasy. If this sounds like the start of a panic attack, perhaps it is. It’s also anger, fear, shock, and other indescribable intense emotions. I’m at a statewide leadership conference in Orlando as news alerts are flashing on my cell phone screen.

Then my son texted:

“Roe V Wade just overturned. I am sick.”

Watching the world wake up invigorates me. Do you marvel at sunrises? The photo and video are from our romantic anniversary staycation. Listening to undulating waves brings me back to the feeling of my husband’s warm chest as I leaned against it.

How Do I Let Go?

I plopped onto the cold, hard bathroom floor and cried. A downpour with no warning whatsoever. It gutted me. Just when I thought I’d adapted to becoming an early empty nester.

This is not how it’s supposed to be. This is not what we planned. Yet here we are. When our daughter took a leap of faith and applied to an arts high school 2,000 miles away, we said, “Sure why not.”

A few years ago, on New Year’s Eve, I made myself a promise. Fed up with avoiding certain activities, I decided to face physical fears linked to my childhood. Since then I’ve skied, biked for miles, and paddle boarded in the middle of Acadia National Park.

My heart, like this Prosecco, is overflowing with gratitude. The texts, phone calls, and outpouring of love since Monday has taken my breath away. This toast is for each of you. My family, friends, the author community, and others.

I am beyond excited to join TouchPoint Press, and I can’t wait to share my novel, It Could Be Worse, with you all. This is just the beginning! Thank you for joining my journey.

A brief and unfamiliar twinge tickled my belly. The first few times, I thought I’d imagined this fluttering sensation. As the months passed, I recognized this movement was life growing inside of me. What once felt like the flapping of butterfly wings morphed to feisty kicks and waves.