By Erica Brown
Author of Happier Endings
There is an art to the consolation note, the sympathy card, the letter marking loss and sadness-even if you cannot share in the sadness because the person who died is an absolute stranger. I find that what helps me write such a letter is meditating for a moment before I begin, particularly focusing on the reader's face when he or she opens the letter and skims its few sentences to see if they will capture a memory, share an as-yet untold story, or regurgitate a few unlovable clichés.

What words will somehow bridge the distance or offer a little sliver of solace? Maybe none. Maybe some. Maybe some, but only with time.

It is so hard to write a moving sympathy card, so hard that we often forget to get around to it, mostly because we never wanted to write one in the first place. But I know that many mourners need these cards. They are buoyed by the little postal gifts of love contained in small envelopes around small, heartfelt feelings of loss.

By Mandy C, Lover.ly

Photo by: Jen Huang on Grey Likes Weddings via Lover.ly

As brides, we're told numerous times that it's best to designate someone- the maid of honor, a day-of coordinator- to handle things like taking over your cell phone to field calls from vendors and lost relatives (who really wants to talk to Aunt Linda 30 minutes before the ceremony and explain how to get from the hotel to the venue?), hold your money for tips, and be in charge of important documents that are needed on the big day. Sure, that's doable for laid back, go-with-the-flow brides (and more power to them!), but for those of us who...ahem...need to exercise some sort of control on this particular day, it's best to carry around a small bag or clutch with all of your wedding day essentials. Here are the three things you must pack in your bridal clutch.

1. Phone Numbers and Schedule

Photo by: Rhphotoarts on The Brides Cafe via Lover.ly

Go ahead and hand over your cell phone to your best

By John Platt, Mother Nature Network

Hippos may look cute, but they are actually quite dangerous. Thousands of people are killed or injured by hippos in Africa every year. The 8,000-pound beasts have a mouth full of powerful tusks and sharp teeth and are both territorial and almost abnormally aggressive. One man who is lucky to have survived a hippo attack 17 years ago recounted his tale last week for The Guardian.

"I was engulfed in darkness," wrote Paul Templer of the attack on Zambezi River in Zimbabwe. "There was no transition at all, no sense of approaching danger. It was as if I had suddenly gone blind and deaf."

Although it took him a few moments to realize it, the upper half of Templer's body was firmly inside a bull hippo's mouth. "I seemed to be trapped in something slimy," he wrote. "There was a terrible, sulphurous smell, like rotten eggs, and a tremendous pressure against my chest."

Also see: 11 animals more likely to kill you than sharks

The bull,

By Marci Nault
Author of The Lake House
"I have nothing left," my girlfriend said with tears in her eyes. The moment before she'd been strong, almost angry in her determination as she explained what she was doing to fight for her daughter in a school system that was failing her. But when I asked her what she was doing to care for herself a look of fear crossed her face.

"Too much," she said. "I'm taking time to figure skate three hours per week, and I know it's selfish so I'm giving it up. My daughter is too important right now."

"You have to take time to give to yourself or there won't be anything left," I said and that's when her determination broke, the tears began, and she confessed that she was already there.

I'm uncertain if it's genetic encoding or a societal pressure passed down through generations that have taught women their needs aren't important. Throughout my childhood I watched my mother put aside personal dreams to care for everyone else. For most of my life, I

The bell boy escorted us to our room, and we were left by ourselves. Yippee, we were alone! Without kids! I felt like a giddy teenager, left alone at home with my boyfriend.

Alone at last! It was just me and my husband celebrating 10 years of what has been an adventure-filled life together. We just sat there for about 5 minutes taking it all in. It's amazing how you go into shock and don't know what to do with yourself when you're so accustomed to three little people dictating every minute of your life.

There was no two-year-old yelling at the top of his lungs to go potty. No child crying because the puppy bit his nose. No hungry boys asking for snacks every 10 minutes. No laptop reminding me that I had writing deadlines to fulfill or dishes in the sink making me look like a slacker mom.

We spent the first few minutes saying to each other, "What do you want to do? I don't know. What do you want to do? I don't know." Then my husband went out to the lobby and came back announcing

Determine the ancestry of your catIs your cat really a purebred Persian? Or is he more of a Maine Coon mix? Thanks to the University of California's cat ancestry test, you can now find out.

The Feline Genetics Laboratory's Cat Ancestry test uses a DNA sample from your cat to determine if your pet's parents or grandparents belong to one of 29 "major fancy cat breeds."

Once DNA is isolated from the cotton swab, the lab tests for specific nucleotide polymorphisms and generates a profile. This profile is compared to a database of global cat profiles to see which geographical origin of cat it shares the most variants with.

Also read: Pet breed tests: Do they really work?

There are eight racial populations of origin, but most cat breeds can be traced back to Western Europe, South Asia, Egypt or the Eastern Mediterranean.

Dr. Leslie Lyons created the database by collecting DNA samples from cats worldwide at shows held by the Cat Fanciers' Association and the International Cat Association.

Next, the lab compares the DNA

A day at the zoo can be fun for all the children in your family!

A few years ago, our family of five headed to the zoo for a birthday celebration for our youngest. It was a hot, busy holiday weekend. Within minutes of pulling into the parking lot, my oldest, who has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder, was begging to leave. His sister was, naturally, crushed.

Until we had that first conversation about her brother's condition, all she understood was that she wouldn't be seeing the elephants that day. My son cried all the way home, not because he was in distress, but because he felt terrible that his sister's dream birthday plans had changed.

So, how do you turn situations like this into a positive experience? How do you strengthen the bonds between siblings when one of them has special needs? What's the right way to encourage healthy relationships with all of your kids, and help them do the same with one another?

It's an ongoing process, but it begins with a good foundation. Here's how to start.

Make time for each child as an

by Laura Moss, Mother Nature Network

Some hospitals now allow visits from your dogA growing number of hospitals are adopting personal pet policies, and Rush University Medical Center recently became the first Chicago-area hospital to allow pets in patients' rooms.

After three years of study, Rush decided that the emotional benefits to patients outweighed the risks, and the policy was approved in December.

While many hospitals allow visits from therapy animals, until recently health care professionals had to deny requests to bring family pets into patient rooms. But hospital policies have begun to change.

Also read: 10 ways owning a pet benefits your health

Today, in addition to Rush, the University of Maryland Medical Center in Baltimore lets family pets visit their owners, as does the University of Iowa Hospital and Clinics in Iowa City; Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center in Richmond; and more than a dozen others.

North Shore University Hospital in Long Island even allows pets to stay overnight with patients in