We chose chairs with sturdy backs.

The first dinner we ate there was pasta and sliced strawberries.

Gabriel brought bread from a bakery.

Lena insisted on washing the dishes even though I told her I could manage.

We laughed about it until Piper announced a new house rule: everyone who made a mess had to help clean it.

I had returned to part-time work, consulting for a nonprofit that helped families navigate access to housing and medical services.

The work suited my new limits, and I found meaning in being useful without pretending I could do everything.