What Mothers Do

I’ve got five kids and I’ve been a mother for over 21 years.  I find that my “mothering urges” sort of spread themselves over whatever children happen to be around me.  When my kids have friends over, I’m all “sweetheart” and “honey” at them.  I feed them.  I feel sorry for them if they are [...]

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The Mills of God Grind Slowly . . .

Knox County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brad Hall called Yolanda Harper and Russell Houser “Good Samaritans.”  Katie Allison Granju called them predators. who gave her son Henry the drugs that led to his fatal overdose. Knoxville News Sentinel commenters called Katie a nutcase who was looking for someone to blame for her own parenting failures.  Katie [...]

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And Justice for All

Lorelei stated rather matter-of-factly the other day that the next time we go out of town, our house will burn down again.  And of course I told her that will not happen, that it is very, very rare for a family to suffer such a random, terrible accident. That’s one aspect of this situation that [...]

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Home is where the work is

A year and a half ago, I started working at home.  Working, as in working at a job, I mean.  Every mother is a working mother and my husband always told the kids that I was the hardest working person in our home.  But being a wife and mother was my job, and it was [...]

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One Short Life

A year ago today, a young life ended.  Today marks the end of the first year that Henry’s family spent without him, longing for him on every holiday and birthday, at the birth of his sister  and death of his great-grandmother, during family milestones and every day moments.  They say that the first year is [...]

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Prescription Addiction

My friend Katie has been writing frequently about the scourge of addiction to prescription drugs since her son died of an overdose and beating in May.  And now John and I have been witnessing this almost every day in our work. Our practice is mostly appointed work–a conscious choice for several reasons, but that’s for [...]

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Is It Just Me . . .

or is this extremely tacky? My husband received a pamphlet today from TACDL (Tennessee Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers) advertising a Continuing Legal Education class with the following title:  The Terrible Twos: Representing Clients Charged with Physical and Sexual Abuse of a Child. Who was the stupid idiot (I don’t think I am phrasing that [...]

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