I have never been to Paris. Well, unless you count that one really stressful layover at Charles de Gaulle Airport last summer. Which I don’t. And yet. My heart sunk when I heard the news on Friday afternoon. Yours did too, I’m sure. By now you’ve seen the news. You’ve…

Author’s Note: This essay was written more than a year ago, the situation described happened over two years ago, and since then the scars have continued to fade.…

Soak it up, the radio DJ told me yesterday afternoon while I drove home after dropping Teddy off at school. The weather was warm and lovely and delicious, a rare treat for November in Chicago. Soak it up, she said. We’ll miss this weather in a few months.  After I pulled…