by Ashley Larkin | May 2, 2017 | Gratitude, Open endings, Perspective
Horse chestnut trees are considered a nuisance. Ask anyone who’s had one, and they can tell you why. Tell all about the seasons of fallen leaves, spike balls (conkers), sticky pollen pods and flowers smelling of slightly distant poopy diapers. Many of you have...
by Ashley Larkin | Sep 25, 2014 | Childhood, Love, Mothering, One Word: Seek, Open endings
Motherhood is push-pull. Hold me tight-let me go. It is I want you — and I want nothing to do with you. It is a long journey of holding close and releasing my grip. I’m experiencing it with all three of my girls right now. It’s been going on with the...
by Ashley Larkin | Aug 1, 2014 | Faith, Five Minute Friday, Hope, Open endings, Risk-taking, Surrender, Trust, Truth-telling
The sky flashes, light unzipping across the dawning summer morning. It is surprising in these parts, a morning storm without rain, and the unseen bolt is a beginning that spreads fingers across earthly skies. She sits across from this new face at the table, and...
by Ashley Larkin | May 12, 2014 | Faith, Family, Hope, Mothering, One Word: Seek, Open endings, Perspective
I reach into the laundry basket of clean clothes that’s been sitting here for the last four days, pull out the boxer shorts and see again the identical gray and black checked pairs and wonder how I didn’t notice that I was buying two that were exactly the...
by Ashley Larkin | Mar 25, 2014 | Family, Just Write, Love, Mothering, Open endings, Sorrow
She pads into our room at dark o’clock and tugs on my shirt. “I had a bad dream, but I don’t want to talk about it,” Lala says blankly, reciting the script as if by memory. Even in the middle of the night, I recognize...
by Ashley Larkin | Feb 6, 2014 | Faith, Hope, One Word: Seek, Open endings, Perspective, Poetry
She pushes past coats in the wardrobe, like Lucy seeking light from the lamp post that stands stalwart, looks to the whirl of flakes in that hidden place, the unfolding mystery of choreography It’s a struggle to the center of things because this room with wood...