Published in The Shortform·PinnedMember-onlyPresenting…Donna Sheehy — I’ve spent lots of time with kids — resulting in many moments when I’ve had growing concerns. YIKES! What in the name of crazy do I do now? I’ve had to live in survival mode — does anybody else know what I’m talking about? I discovered a tip or trick…Introducing Myself1 min readIntroducing Myself1 min read
Published in The Memoirist·PinnedMember-onlyI Didn’t Reach Her Float In TimeAll was under control, until it wasn’t… I heard splashing — sending a jolt of warning, like a tiny, UNCOMFORTABLE electrical shock through my system. I was floating on the pool, half asleep, somewhere just short of dream land, but the disruption from absolute peace couldn’t be ignored. I should’ve…The Memoirist4 min readThe Memoirist4 min read
Published in ILLUMINATION-Curated·PinnedMember-onlyWhen my Job Turned into a Circus ActThe tilting floors and funhouse mirrors made the exit hard to find. — Teaching Kindergarten was like being The Ringmaster of my own little circus that year. The variety of acts and actors coupled with the sheer complexity of how many ways the acts could go wrong was beyond imagining. Until it wasn’t. This Big Top Year began with a wide variety of…Mwc Work6 min readMwc Work6 min read
Published in The Motherload·PinnedMember-onlyI Lost my Child at the RiverI would have given anything for a cell phone that day. — The River’s current was swift in places, requiring some back-seat paddling expertise, but mostly it was an easy, fun, floating day. We had quite the convoy! It was my husband and 3 kiddos, my parents, my 3 brothers, and a pretty good representation of my nieces and nephews along with…Parenting4 min readParenting4 min read
Published in Spread the Ripple·Mar 16Member-onlyIt’s just lipstick on a pig… if your heart doesn’t match your beauty — I barely saw her. She was there but invisible to me. Nothing about her made an impression. But all that changed with time. Suddenly her beauty was revealed. She was funny and compassionate and humble. She was a true beauty — and I totally missed it at first. Have YOU…Kindness2 min readKindness2 min read
Feb 16Member-onlyJust Give Me an Easy YearTeaching Kindergarten and praying for “no more than I can handle” turned into “just give me an easy year”. — I could go on and on… but just to give you an idea... There was the year a student shared that her parents were getting a divorce because her dad wanted to be a woman. Her mom warned me. I began hearing snippets of conversations about penises and vaginas. I…Life Lessons3 min readLife Lessons3 min read
Published in The Motherload·Feb 13Member-onlyIt’s Never Too Late to Become a BookwormThis is how it would go if I ran the world… — So, your child can read, now it’s super important that they have the opportunity to really fall in love with books. — because it’s not hooking a child on the act of reading so much a finding them books that appeal to them. It’s now time to FILL your little…Parenting5 min readParenting5 min read
Published in The Memoirist·Feb 4Member-onlyA Stinking Popularity Contest for Valentine’s DayWho okayed this brilliant idea? — The bell rang — activating the floodgates of departing high school students for the day. Beautiful Valentine colors — red, pink, white — adorned the crowd. Long stemmed carnations were clutched in fists, carelessly held “bouquet style”. They were mostly, shamelessly, flaunted by THE expected crew. You know — the…Valentines Day2 min readValentines Day2 min read
Jan 31Member-onlyBad Advice from GrandmaDon’t take it. — Don’t worry about your relationship with your spouse while the kiddos are little. There will be plenty of time when they’re grown for you to be sweethearts again. This is simply bad advice. If Grandma was trying to say that it’s okay to ignore being a couple in favor of…Parenting4 min readParenting4 min read
Published in Petness·Dec 21, 2022Member-onlyYou Can’t Hurt my Dog’s FeelingsEven if you tell him to GO AWAY. — Knocking softly while peeking around a resident’s door at a nursing home, I politely asked, “Would you like a visit from my dog, Toby?” From most people we received a welcome, with genuine smiles, when my lovable pet visited. Let me tell you, you can’t miss this Labradoodle’s enormous presence…Dogs4 min readDogs4 min read
