It’s getting time for my annual desire to rewatch Love Actually. It’s not technically a Christmas movie, but it takes place over the holidays and captures the range of emotions and experiences that this time of year can bring up. Read more about how gratitude is a prickly subject for me and tips on how you can better embrace it yourself.

Octobers are a tricky time for me. And not just because Halloween comes at the end of it. It took me a little bit to notice this and reflect on it more in this journal entry.

I spent part of Saturday face down on the pool lounger while sounds of summer surrounded me. Not because I was taking a moment of relaxation or just soaking up the sun.

A couple weeks ago, I took my youngest son to a check-up for a congenital condition he had surgery for in the first year of his life. It was repairable and everything has been improving in the four years since. So I wasn’t too worried, but there is that lingering “what if” until you get the okay.