August just came and went, and September is off to many unexpected blessings. My two books, Eight Goodbyes and In This Life, won some awards! Something I had never, ever dreamed of! Eight Goodbyes was a Finalist in the International Book Awards. My agent made sure I knew that there was only one winner, which…
Before I hit PUBLISH on this blog post, I thought long and hard about it. I stepped away for two weeks, ran things over and over in my head, imagined the potential outcome and blowback, and decided against it for a while. But it stayed in my mind, making me walk away from social media…
If you follow my original blog posts at christinebrae.com, I don’t know if this is good news or bad news. Although this is the very first post for this brand new website, it’s from the same person, the very same me. In the six or so years I’d written in my blog, you’ve watched me…
Week 3 and things haven’t changed at all. In fact, we all have these gut feelings that they’ve actually gotten worse. This morning, I saw my son pull into the driveway from his night shift at the ER. I grabbed the dog and waited by the window to wave at him before he entered the…
There has always been a perception that for people like me, with happy families and great jobs and careers and who don’t post problems on social media, life is perfect and everything is hunky dory. Today, more than ever, I felt the need to write this post. Just an hour ago, my husband, my son…
HAPPY 2020! I thought I should get all caught up while on vacation, fully aware that I’m a few days late with my New Year post. Hope you are all settling into the New Year with much anticipation and excitement for what’s to come. As for me, I am still living in my over-analyzing (horoscopes)…
For the first time in so many years, I’m winding down early. Obviously, it’s because our agency has decided to close for the holidays -one more reason why I feel so blessed to work there. My last day of work was the 20th – and since then, I’ve been taking the time to really lay…
Another year, another turkey. Seems like we were just here, cleaning, cooking, preparing our home for our families and loved ones. But not really. We’re in a new home that’s half the size of our old home, in a new neighborhood, in a different state. Everything is so new to us – I’m anxious every…
The Year I Left. Actually, it was two years. And although it feels like a lifetime ago, everything still sits so vividly in memory. Caught up in a swirl of activity and events, I could hardly recognize myself. I didn’t know it was depression at that time, all I knew was that I was ready…
What a whirlwind it’s been. I was actually doing a college drop off on Release Day, so in between texts and posts, I was on an emotional level all on its own. He’s our youngest, you know. And his personality has been the highlight of our home for 18 years. The irony of both events…
