Practically speaking blog by Jill Donovan

Remember the Birdcage

My dad died twenty-seven years ago this week from pancreatic cancer.The day after he went to be with the Lord, my mom said something to me that I have thought about hundreds of times since. She to...

Closer Than The Air In Their Lungs

There is a particular kind of ache that comes with loving a child you can no longer tuck in at night.  A few weeks ago, I dropped my youngest daughter off for her freshman year of college. Apparent...

When Your Mind Won’t Move On

There are two types of people in this world. The kind of people who apologize once.And then there are the kind who believe no apology is complete without a follow-up text, a follow-up to the follow...

How To Stop Bracing For Future Pain

Do you ever struggle to fully enjoy something because you’re trying to prepare yourself for when it ends? As if keeping one foot in joy and one foot in future grief will somehow cushion the blow wh...

How Do You Eat An Elephant?

You know when something feels so overwhelming you think, I will start once I know what I am doing.And then you realize that the sheer size of what is in front of you makes you want to do literally ...

Pick A Number. Any Number.

A couple of years ago, I shared a few of my favorite quotes in here and asked everyone to pick a number before reading them. I loved how meaningful it became.  So I thought we’d do it again with a ...

Let There Be Peace. And Let It Be Now.

You know how sometimes you wake up and can’t open your mouth because your jaw is completely locked? Yeah, me neither. Until last Tuesday.I just sat there in bed, trying to figure out what to do.Aft...

Love Is Blind. Uber Edition.

Please don’t judge me for what I am about to say. I have friends who watch Love Is Blind.This is a show where grown adults sit in tiny pods, fall in love with a voice through a wall, propose after ...

Your Peace is Worth Protecting

  Last week I woke up to a super fun text from my credit card’s fraud department. Did you spend $572.05 at Walmart? Reply Y or N.Not even a Good morning, Jill. Just straight to the crime. And it’s ...

You Are Not Who the Algorithm Says You Are

Have you ever lingered a little too long on a video, and now the algorithm thinks it knows you? Last week I watched a guy power-washing strangers’ driveways for free.No fanfare, just a hose and a...