Another Door Opens
“At times our own light goes out and is rekindled by another person. Each of us has cause to think with deep gratitude of those who have lighted the flame within us.” Eight years ago today, my husband told me he wanted a divorce. If only I had been home more and spent less time…
The Paradise of Home
There were so many times I wanted to sell my little log home in the woods. When the snow made our long, winding driveway impassable for months. When the wolf spiders the size of hands clung to the basement walls. When the lack of Internet led me to the Wawa parking lot to connect to…
Kindred Spirits
It was July 30 and I had a long day ahead. Two of our beloved goats were very ill and needed round the clock care. My anxiety was mounting as their conditions worsened, but I still hoped both would pull through. “Hey! Are you in the area today?” It was a text from my best…
Be the Change
When I was in preschool, our class was visited by an African-American Santa Claus. Afterwards, I told my mother it wasn’t the real Santa. “Why?” she asked me. “Because he didn’t have a beard!” I replied. In 8th grade, my teacher asked us to raise our hands if we had never heard our parents say…
Just Getting Started!
Recently, a friend told me I was “past my prime.” Ironically, it was meant as a compliment — my friend was admiring a photo from three years prior and made an offhand comment that in that photo, I was in my “prime.” They seemed baffled when I took offense to the notion that my best…
The Rachel I Knew
“Friendship isn’t about who you’ve known the longest. It’s about who walked into your life, said ‘I’m here for you’ and proved it.” Seven years ago, I came across a meme with this quote and it reminded me immediately of my friend Rachel. In just a couple short months, we had become inseparable as we…
The Difference A Year Makes
“Hey, whatever happened to that shed you were buying?” Three years ago, this text from my friend Roger popped up on my phone screen. It had been several months since I first reached out to Roger about living with me. We had gotten to know each other at Burning Man but distance kept us acquaintances.…
Every Day is a Gift
One year ago today, I got the message I had been dreading to hear. My father had been rushed to the ER … and the doctor didn’t think he would make it. His health had been touch and go for several years since his oral cancer diagnosis and surgery that robbed him of two of…
One Decision Away
“You’re always one decision away from a totally different life.” Six years ago today, I rode the train to Washington DC; I was headed towards major change! I planned to meet up a former college student from 2007 who was living in Oregon and visiting DC for an event to raise awareness about fetal alcoholism…
The Only Way Out
I spent the entire summer of 2018 prepping and packing for Burning Man, from my glittery costumes to my head lamp and bike lights. The global event in Black Rock City, Nevada would be held just a few months after the finalization of my divorce. During my marriage, I never dreamt I would one day…
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The Claudia Brown 