From the Caregiver's HAErt — Danita LaShelle Jones

I spent years trying to catch the actual “pop.” Around Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, my father was known for slow-roasting turkeys in the oven. He would meticulously clean and season them, place them…

“Maybe chicken just tastes like everything else,” a person at our table responded. And as dramatic as it sounds, the entire table got quiet. In college, I had the privilege of making it into…

Mosquito bites. That’s what my mom discovered on my back right before I started experiencing a life-threatening allergic reaction. The previous day, my parents, sister, and I spent a humid July evening…

“That is the right question,” Alfred Lanning’s hologram smirks. Then, just as suddenly as his image appears, it vanishes into a small projector, leaving detective Del Spooner confused about what he’s just uncovered. In…

“And what’s the word for today?” I asked my team at work after rattling off all the elements of the run sheet for the day. “Flexibility,” the room unenthusiastically replied in unison. It was…

I’d missed it. While sitting at work finalizing run sheets for “content day” at my new job and sending out a rehearsal schedule to my actors for the next production, I glanced at the…

After three months of after-school rehearsals, costume checks, stage makeup trials, and an eight-show week, we’d finally come to the last performance of the musical our daughter’s performing arts school was putting on. But…

“You all shut down the city for this?” a social media user asked. “We call this a regular day in Montana,” another chimed in. Around this time of year, those of us born and…

Had I known Yelp existed back then, the outing would have received zero out of five stars. After hearing great things about a nature walk from one of our outdoorsy friends, my husband and…

I put down my phone in mild frustration. Like many people around this time of year, I’m trying to practice healthier habits in my daily routine. Yet, the app I downloaded was hindering my…

It was over. Sixteen seconds into a semifinal qualifying race at the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, Derek Redmond grabbed the back of his leg and hit the ground with a torn hamstring. All hopes…

While I’m sure there are more terrifying things to face on earth, I’m also sure my father couldn’t think of any as we picked up speed, careening backward down a steep hill. “Put the…