3 mins read

Pregnancy Symptoms Days Before Labor

Many moms-to-be eagerly anticipate the onset of labor not because they look forward to the requisite discomfort and work that the process entails, but instead because they can’t wait to cast their eyes on their new bundle of joy. As women approach their promised due date, they commonly become eager for any signs of the commencement of labor. While no sign is as clear an indication of the start of labor as the development of contractions, certain signs indicate that labor and, by connection, birth, are but a few days away.

5 mins read

If You Want to Be Happy, No One Can Stop You

(This essay is adapted from the June 16, 2004 Briar Woods High School Commencement speech delivered at the Patriot Center in Fairfax, Virginia.) Thank you for sharing this awesome, auspicious day with me. A few years ago, a close friend from high school, who had known me since I was 12 years old, offered an observation about my life that got my attention. My friend told me: “You’ve had so many bad things happen …