Behind the scenes

  Margaret Ellis was fastening a pair of pearl earrings when her phone lit up on the dressing table.

My first grandson was born during a summer thunderstorm in Austin. My daughter-in-law, Nora, had been

I almost said no when Carol asked me to watch her grandson. It was a rainy Friday in early April, and

Hannah stood on the balcony of her small Brisbane unit until the sky began to lighten. Ten-month-old

Walter Briggs ran cattle near the edge of the Bitterroot Valley and worked seasonal patrols for the Forest Service.

Every evening, just before the lights came on in the high-rise buildings, I walked my two shepherds through

Noah Bennett called himself “between opportunities.” His mother called it unemployment. His father called

At twenty-six, I had become the last unmarried woman in my family. Every birthday dinner came with the

“Could Maisie stay at the cottage while we’re away?” Jean folded the tea towel into a neat square before