Here are a handful of gleaming essays, excerpted from the Backyard Pearls book. Indulge! You can check back every 3-4 weeks to peek at more pearls, or order the book here.

Measuring Up

She walked into the coffee shop swimsuit model thin. We hugged, then found an intimate corner where we could catch up on her life since she moved. My friend told me about her exciting new career, the beautiful house she and her husband had custom-built, and her children’s triumphs in soccer and music.
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Polishing the Looking Glass

My teen daughter is appraising herself in the mirror with her new braces, and I know what she sees. Or, more to the point, what she doesn’t. Because it’s the same thing I didn’t see when I looked in the mirror this morning. Perhaps you didn’t, either?
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Lessons from the Labrador

Yesterday I was spinning plates. You know the feeling. Everything was going right. I was caught up on all my writing assignments, I had lost a few pounds, my hair actually did what it was supposed to and I was excited about some new projects.. I had every one of those plates up and spinning and was feeling pretty smug.
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