I have a closet in my heart.   Do you know what that is? It’s a little storage area beneath your ribcage.  You don’t choose what goes in there. The heart decides what to hold on to and what to let go. When we were kids, my mother made hot fudge sundaes if we had a […] The post Breathing Room first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post Breathing Room appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

It’s late. Joe turns over beside me in bed. He mumbles something in his sleep. I envy his rest. My mind wanders, as it seems to every night at this time. I think of my son Jack. I feel an ache that is too familiar to describe. Autism grief is something that never quite disappears. […] The post A Different Kind of Grief first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post A Different Kind of Grief appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

Little one. Let me hold you close. Here, now. Outside the window, November’s branches bend in the wind. There is an air of festivity in the hospital. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. You are my third baby in as many years. Once we are home, life will feel busy. I long to hold […] The post When Whispers Break first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post When Whispers Break appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

We begin to taxi toward the runway. I glance out the window. Clouds obscure any stars in the night sky. Be married on purpose. I said these four words just a few hours ago. I was speaking at a conference and a young woman asked me about strategies for keeping a marriage together while raising […] The post Marriage on Purpose first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post Marriage on Purpose appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

The house is quiet. He comes downstairs and grabs a Tupperware container full of leftovers from the refrigerator. He plops down on the couch. In between mouthfuls, he shares small tidbits of his day. Baseball practice, the latest high school drama, the upcoming prom. My 18-year old son Charlie. My eyes are tired. I am ready […] The post When I Was Young on Sunday Morning first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post When I Was Young on Sunday Morning appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

I am thrilled to announce that, after many hours in a teeny-tiny sound booth, the audio book for Half My Sky is available! You can order your copy here. There were quite a few moments that made me emotional during recording, but the following excerpt took a few attempts to read without tears. “After a […] The post Audio Book Available! first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post Audio Book Available! appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

My husband Joe snores lightly beside me. I drift off to sleep. I think of flowers. Fields of pink, white, and yellow. Dozens of watering cans lined up in a row. I pick one up and walk toward the blossoms. I begin to water.  She appears in front of me. She is younger than I […] The post Between the Petals first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post Between the Petals appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

When I was about ten years old, my stepfather brought my mother a dozen red roses. It was the first act of romance I’d ever witnessed.  She put them in a large silver teapot we kept in the pantry – a fancy-ish piece that seemed out of place beside our white Corelle dishes, the kind […] The post A Silver Teapot first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post A Silver Teapot appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

Beside me, my husband Joe snores lightly. I nudge his shoulder.  Downstairs, I hear my youngest son looking for a snack in the kitchen. I am restless tonight, not quite ready for sleep. Careful not to disturb Joe, I reach for my laptop. The screen glows softly in the dark. When I was a kid, […] The post Home first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post Home appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more

A nightclub in Miami. It’s the last place I expected to see you. My friends and I stand in the corner, bobbing our heads to the music. A few of us glance surreptitiously at our watches. It’s day two of a weekend away to celebrate a 50th birthday and though we are game for a little […] The post This Tangerine Sky first appeared on Carrie Cariello. The post This Tangerine Sky appeared first on Carrie Cariello ..read more