Yellowstone

Last summer Matt, the children, and I embarked on a nearly 5,000 mile, three week, road trip "out west". Exactly a year ago today we were spending the last of four days exploring Yellowstone National Park.

The picture below was taken in the morning while driving through Hayden Valley. We'll always remember this as the day that Michael and I hiked up a small but steep grassy hill and were surprised by a bison standing way too close for comfort just on the other side of the crest. This is a hilarious memory for Michael because I responded to the bison's proximity with an expletive. I will always remember it as the moment I realized I'd be on my own in a zombie apocalypse - Michael was down the hill and back in the car almost faster than I could turn around. 

In the second picture you can see two of our silhouettes standing on a bridge, taking in the visual and auditory spectacle of Dragon's Mouth Spring - it really did sound like there was a beast behind that steam. 

We are heartbroken, seeing the images coming out of Yellowstone this week. Our time there, while brief, was truly amazing. I often felt like I was on a different planet. I'm so sorry for the people who live and work in that area, folks who are having the trip of a lifetime cancelled or cut short, and everyone who is impacted by the current flooding in any way. 

I can't help but wonder how many devastating natural disasters it is going to take before we wake up and take the necessary steps to mitigate climate change. There are choices we make as a family (though I know there's always more we could do) to try to help, but we need change on a much bigger scale. 

 

Time to Move On

Nearly six years ago I agreed to take a leap out of my comfort zone and join my friend Christina as a Profiles Editor for Literary Mama. I felt like Bambi on ice as I started to learn the ropes. I'm still not entirely sure what made the powers that be willing to take a chance on me at that point (most likely Christina's generous recommendation) but, eventually, I found my feet as an editor. Over time I was able to take on more responsibility and, as Christina moved on to a Senior Editor position, I even got to welcome a new editor to the profiles department and made a wonderful friend in Susan. I am proud of the work that I've done at Literary Mama in the past few years and proud to have been a small part of a truly remarkable group of women who work on this labor of love from all over the world. 

Month after month I got to work with writers interviewing writers and broaden my perspectives on motherhood and creativity. I learned from the feedback given by the Senior Editors. I had the opportunity to collaborate with women from many different backgrounds. I made connections with incredibly talented writers and I'm grateful. Without a doubt I gained much more than I gave in my time with Literary Mama. 

March/April 2022 was the last issue of Literary Mama that I worked on as a profiles editor, after choosing not to renew my contract. Working full-time and keeping up with a busy family, I found that the time I spent on profiles was keeping me from spending as much energy as I'd like on my own creative pursuits. For the first time in a long time, I'm not seeing the flurry of emails that indicate a new issue will be coming soon. Fortunately I don't have to sever ties with my Literary Mama family completely. My profile of Jamie Sumner was published last September, and I'm looking forward to sharing the profile I will have in the May/June 2022 issue. 

If you haven't yet taken time to read the gorgeous, thought-provoking, mother-affirming writing that Literary Mama publishes, please take time to look at it soon, you won't be sorry.