the icing on the cake

creating connection,
one story at a time

 

Something wonderful happens when we share our stories;
the moments that make us laugh and those that make us cry.
We learn that it’s not enough to encourage and love, but to be encouraged and loved.
Because in the end, we have each other, and that’s really something, isn’t it?

featured pieces

longer form pieces, all of which can be accessed on the featured pieces page.

featured pieces
silent treasures
silent treasures

The most essential parts of a life - the quiet ones - are often the hardest to name and the easiest to overlook, to underestimate.

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Packing Up Winter
Packing Up Winter

Somewhere nearby, water dripped steadily from a melting snowbank — that unmistakable sound of winter finally loosening its grip.

It felt small, almost insignificant. And yet, somehow, it felt like the beginning of everything.

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The Story Beneath The Medal
The Story Beneath The Medal

For two weeks, we practice curiosity over caricature. We cheer for athletes from countries we cannot locate on a map. We grieve with a skater honoring his parents. We admire sacrifice that predates the spotlight.

And because we know their stories, we care.

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Big Love
Big Love

It’s hard not to notice how much our world needs more of this kind of love right now.

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tuesday thoughts

i do my best thinking on tuesdays; come check them out!

tuesday thoughts
the lottery
the lottery

After living most of my life, or 55 years of it, I have come to recognize myself as a bit of a loser when it comes to games and contests that require luck, and I usually steer clear, especially when money is involved.

what’s your itch
what’s your itch

Life has a sneaky way of educating us when we least expect it.

we see you
we see you

But I also consider those who may not be there. Those children who have struggled and continue to do so, who are not a part of the end-of-the year merriment, who did not complete (and may not have started), who did not attend a prom and did not pose in their tux or gown.⁠

i don’t know
i don’t know

This morning, my daughter sent me a Tik Tok of a cool, AirPods-sporting, blond-haired girl with a look of disdain on her face. At the top of the screen, these words are written: School making us believe our worth is determined by a grade. And in the video, the above-mentioned girl, in a deep voice, says, “Now that was a lot of damage.”

more sections

icy’s pick of the week

 
 

From books to recipes to shows, movies, songs, and stores, a new pick is released every Wednesday.

 

slice of nice

 
 

In a world so inundated with fraught and stress, it would be great if we could just be nice.