I did not hide that Brenda existed, but I also didn’t make every celebration a test of whether she would participate.

The twins deserved birthdays centered on cake and friends, not on the emotional needs of adults.

When the day arrived, neighbors filled our yard.

A little boy knocked over the lemonade pitcher.

Somebody lost one of the paper clues in a flowerpot.

The dog next door barked through the singing, and Katie insisted that we start the song again.