Home sweet homes
A few mornings ago, just before I awoke from a dream, I told myself this: No one wants to move [...]
Study abroad… at home in Iowa
I’m spending the fall in Iowa as part of my doctoral degree program. It’s like study abroad — but in [...]
From fearful to fearless
I became a health reporter in Rome years ago. Not officially. That would come a couple of years after I [...]
Violin lessons
Every time I return to my father’s house in Iowa, I try to whittle down my childhood belongings. I’m down [...]
Bound and determined
When I got pregnant nearly four years ago, I was at a crossroads in my life. I’d just been accepted [...]
Becoming my grandmother
It’s often said that women become their mothers. Ever since my mother died twelve years ago, I’ve noticed how I’ve [...]
Summer of love
Since the start of the pandemic, an Italian phrase has been on my mind: abbiamo soltanto gli uni e gli [...]
Christmas in exile
One year, I got a Snicker’s bar for Christmas. I’m sure my mother gave me other gifts, as did my [...]
COVID of the mind
The 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” plays out in my home state of Iowa and at the time gave the [...]
Bugs, butterflies, and wisdom
In the past month, I’ve encountered two big roaches in my car. A while ago, I wrote about my fear [...]
La mangione
Not so long ago I was feeding my daughter Julia bites of sweet potato fries at dinner. Suddenly, though, she [...]
In a breath
I've returned to meditating lately. What's a bit different this time around is that I'm now doing it daily. I'd [...]