Articles by Amy Shankland

My youngest son Jacob turned 21 last week. To mark this momentous occasion, my husband John and my other son, Jonathon, went up to Ball State last Friday to join…

I was filling out an updated volunteer form for the best therapeutic horseback riding center in the country, Agape Therapeutic Riding Resources in Cicero. (I’m not kidding, folks, they are…

If you visit our house, you’ll probably notice the chalkboard on our fridge showing what’s for dinner for each day of the week. Now that we’re empty nesters, you’ll always…

I have an addiction. One that most of my family members and friends don’t know about. I love boxes. It started out small. I held on to them for normal…

It almost sparkled against the dark background. I had to take off my glasses to study it further. While reading a book last Tuesday evening, I glimpsed at the arm…

Last Sunday evening, our house went from a peaceful, sleepy state to one of utter chaos in about 30 seconds. And I absolutely loved it. As I sat on the…

I’ve read that one great way to deal with the loneliness some people feel as an empty nester is to adopt a pet. My husband John and I already have…

I used to think that I wouldn’t have as many worries when my kids got to college. I figured I’d be a happy empty nester and they’d be thriving, responsible,…

When you’re an empty nester, you’re definitely not young anymore! Most of us are in more of the “middle-aged” category. As I’ve shared before, I don’t mind being in this…