The little girl who was going into 4th Grade when I wrote this has now finished her first year of high school. And, even though I was afraid the tradition would fade away, we still celebrate each last-day-of-school with the cheeseburger special... June 19, 2004…
A friend and I were discussing the way we see ourselves changes with age. That reminded me of a column I wrote a couple of years ago so I thought I would share it here... May 19, 2008 Home Planet: Fine lines between young, old…
I got a call from a friend the other night. One of those late-night calls women make when they have a moment to themselves. She was alone in a quiet house full of sleeping children and a husband who was softly snoring in front of…
Last night was perfect. The weather was exactly right. Not too cold, not too hot. Most of the clouds cleared away and left us with a beautiful sunset. It was a grand time for a party.As luck would have it, Celeste Shaw, the owner of…
Going through previous graduation columns... Home Planet: They grow up at breathtaking speed Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review June 2, 2008 She came into this world after a labor and delivery so fast and efficient it left us both dazed and breathless. Exhilarated and exhausted, I…
My friend sat with her husband in a stadium crowded with of thousands of parents just like the two of them. One by one their college-educated children marched across the stage and picked up diplomas, given with a smile and handshake, before crossing to the…
If you have signed up to use Facebook, you’re probably familiar with the way the online social media format plays social matchmaker. Not in a romantic way, but by suggesting people you might want to add to your contact list. People who are friends with…
May 26, 2008 Love and respect are memories to cherish Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review Tags: home planet Growing up in the house where I lived with my grandparents, this day was called “Decoration Day.”Each year, with my grandfather behind the wheel, they would drive my…
For a girl like the girl I was, a child of the deep South, born into a world of steel mills and tidy neighborhoods of bungalows on oak and maple and pecan tree-lined streets; for a child steeped in the heady Southern perfumes of feathery…
In love and lodging, the little things always seem to matter the most. I was reminded of this in early May, when I traveled to Whitefish, Montana for the centennial celebration of Glacier National Park. I was lucky enough to find a rare opening at…
The thing about going somewhere is that, if you’re lucky, you have someone to tell goodbye. Someone who is sad to see you go. It’s the same coming home. For the fortunate, there is someone there to welcome you. Someone who missed you and is…
Slipping into a parking spot across the street from the high school, I turned off the engine and waited for my daughter to come out the door. Enjoying the quiet of the car, a welcome respite from the noise of a busy day, lulled by…
Happy Mother's Day. Another column from the archives...June 5, 2006 Life’s tender moments dance into our hearts Cheryl-Anne Millsap Staff writer The dance starts before we are born. Babies wait in the dark, moving in time to the beat of a mother’s heart and with…
Another Mother's Day column from the past...May 5, 2008 Home Planet: At times, it’s alright to get it wrong Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review I got my first taste of mother guilt just minutes after the birth of my first child.After I delivered her – an…
Another Mother's Day column from the past... May 13, 2006 Weighty concerns easily forgotten on Mother’s Day Cheryl-Anne Millsap The Spokesman-Review Tomorrow is Mother’s Day.It doesn’t matter if it’s your first Mother’s Day or your 21st; you’ve probably already learned one very important lesson: Mothering…
Taking the red-eye morning flight, I watched the watery April sun rise in the sky as I left the Inland northwest and flew across the country. My work took me east, but there was another, stronger, pull. I needed to see the mountains again. Not…
Looking back on columns about mothers... May 7, 2007 Motherhood really isn’t about smooth landings Cheryl-Anne Millsap Staff writer Imagine we are at a party (let’s make it a cocktail party because I’ve got a new dress and I’d like a chance to wear it…
I pulled up to the intersection and stopped. While I waited for the light to change I looked around me; briefly meeting the eyes of the woman in the car in front of me as she glanced up at her rearview mirror. I saw another…
This morning I watched the sun rise over the Great Smoky Mountains. The historic Grove Park Inn, at Asheville, North Carolina was already humming, preparing for the Obama visit. Four airports, 2,000 miles and 9 hours later I walked in my front door and am…
I was busy with other things. My mind was on early spring chores like clearing away the winter clutter of boots, shovels and mate-less mittens; sweeping last year’s bitter-end-of-autumn leaves and pine needles off the patio; tidying up the garden getting it ready to plant…
After taking the plunge into downsizing a big life into a little house, I love to read about anyone who has gone really small. It takes a lot of determination to resist the temptation to start living large again.Dee Williams, an Olympia, Washington woman, will…
No Sunday drive to Green Bluff is complete without a stop by Trezzi Farm. Walking into the one-of-a-kind barn-style home and kitchen, we were warmly welcomed, as always, and came away with a box full of delicious homemade lasagna, meatballs, pesto and polenta to stock…
I am a great admirer of the kitchen skills of my friends. So many seem to posess a magic that escapes me. In my kitchen, in my pots and pans, most recipes never turn out quite right. I get close, but, whether due to my…
When the signs are subtle but strong. When the wind shifts and the sun’s arc across the sky changes a bit. When the perfume in the air takes on another scent and something deep inside me responds to a silent signal, I take walk. Not…
Years ago, the week before Easter Sunday, I sat beside my sister’s hospital bed watching her fever rise and listening to her struggle to breathe. She was so sick, fighting for every breath, and I was powerless to help her in any way. The only…
Cheryl-Anne Millsap's Home Planet column appears each week in the Wednesday "Pinch" supplement. Cheryl-Anne is a regular contributor to Spokane Public Radio and her essays can be heard on Public Radio stations across the country.
