Then he said, “I sent a message out to the friend group that I’m inviting a new kid to eat lunch with us tomorrow. One of the friends responded, ‘Everybody be nice. Make sure he feels included. Don’t let him feel left out.’”
Motherhood
Remembering
The image of the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin, Germany (cover photo) is a place of contemplation, a place of remembrance and warning. It is close to the Brandenburg Gate in the heart of Berlin. If you understand what it represents, it can be haunting. If not, it seems almost restful.
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Imitation and Flattery
I’ll try something new and sit back and enjoy the view. Because in this case, this IS my circus, and these ARE my monkeys, and they are a rollicking good time!
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They Became My Partners in Joy
It took work on my part to shed some layers of negativity and remember my somewhat bohemian wildness and happiness, my inner childishness, to allow myself to look silly in front of my kids.
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What Does it Mean to be a Hero?
My 13yo son asked me a question last night. He turned to me and asked, "What does it mean to be a hero? Do you have to save someone's life to be a hero?"
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They Don’t Want What We Want, by Asking Alexandra
Do you listen intently to the words of songs your kids listen to - the stations, the kinds of music they like?
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Before These Moments Slip Away
par·a·dox noun \ˈper-ə-ˌdäks, ˈpa-rə-\ : something (such as a situation) that is made up of two opposite things and that seems impossible but is actually true or possible Ben went through a Phantom of the Opera phase a while back, after reading a kid version of the story at school, and made the mask, and … Continue reading Before These Moments Slip Away
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Books will Save Us
I have gotten out of the habit of writing, and my world is suffering. The walls start closing in on me when my creativity is on hiatus. When I am drawn like a moth to bad news, and the marching feet of the demise of our civilization, I sit stoop-shouldered and spineless and terrified - … Continue reading Books will Save Us
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Today I Choose Love and Light
This morning, I read Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and my whole spirit calmed down. He lived and was martyred during one of the most awful periods for the church. And yet, his words are like a balm and a reminder of what community is supposed to be like for believers. I do not think we are … Continue reading Today I Choose Love and Light
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We could Hug More!
Another bad thing in a world of bad things. I have not become numb, that is not what has happened. I crumble with each new attack, with each new assault - foreign or domestic. And then I disconnect, and block out the media, and become absorbed in my kids' interests and the activities we can do … Continue reading We could Hug More!
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Sugar Sweet
It seems I have been struggling under a delusion that if I could just get my house organized Once and For All, everything would stay put. But it is more insipid than that - there is a strand of Once and For All twirling all through my head. If I could nail down my belief … Continue reading Sugar Sweet
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Inhabit
"At this point in his life, he hadn't started inhabiting his work, like he did later."
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Pre-Pubescent Insanity
I wish anyone had been able to explain these changes to me as a young person. I just thought I was crazy. It's all perfectly normal. It's absolutely completely normal to hit pre-puberty and feel like all is lost and you have no grip on reality.
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If a Genie Could Grant us Wholeheartedness
My husband and I were solving all the problems of the world this morning over coffee, and again, the discussion of violence in our nation was at the forefront of our thoughts. We were acknowledging that it is difficult to have a conversation about how to solve the problems without people getting heated, and … Continue reading If a Genie Could Grant us Wholeheartedness
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Plotting my Areas of Growth
It is easy for me to think I'm learning a lot by bouncing around from web article to web article. And, I actually do have pretty good taste in reading, I think. I'm reading some of the #longreads and the well-thought-out literary reviews. I'm doing some fine reading. But every now and then, I … Continue reading Plotting my Areas of Growth
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She Thought Perhaps Azalea
#blacklivesmatter
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“I Will Not Pretend That My Hands Don’t Work”
When Scott and I were first married, and setting up our home together, I was unpacking boxes of files to put into the office, and came across an envelope full of sentences he'd had his boys write as a consequence for behavior that got them into trouble. I sat on the floor flipping through these … Continue reading “I Will Not Pretend That My Hands Don’t Work”
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Winter Storm Driving
It has snowed a whole bunch in our area. (I am so cheating with this photo. It's from a photo site and not one I took of our current storm.) Our snow is bad, but not this bad. It's packed, it has stayed on the ground for almost a week, in six to eight inch … Continue reading Winter Storm Driving
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I Do Not Tug at their Hearts for No Reason
Earlier this week, we were having a dinner table conversation led by my husband about Not Judging a Book by its Cover - not judging people - understanding that everyone has a story. We may not ever know what drives a person, but we have to give space, give grace, and give a level of … Continue reading I Do Not Tug at their Hearts for No Reason
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Dustin Hoffman on Appreciating Women
Dustin Hoffman is in a video that will most likely go viral. It is about the moment he realized how many amazing women he had missed out on meeting or interacting with in his life because they didn't fit the image he had in his head of how women should look. He breaks down crying … Continue reading Dustin Hoffman on Appreciating Women
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Monkeys Flinging Poop, Friends Visiting and other Poetic Adventures
"Not Cool, Robert Frost!" It has been all the rage on the internet, at Ted Talks, on the Late Night Circuit - all over the place. If you have not yet seen The Pep Talk, by Kid President, please, go see it now. I will wait. My kids and I have watched this so many … Continue reading Monkeys Flinging Poop, Friends Visiting and other Poetic Adventures
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So Bean and I made Apple Pie and Lasagna at the DMV
It's true, and I have no pictures to share, because it was all imaginary, to pass the time. We were there for over an hour. I purposely kept my phone in my purse. Never once pulled it out, because I feel so conscious of the time I'm with Bean, and the moments I steal from … Continue reading So Bean and I made Apple Pie and Lasagna at the DMV
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Where there are no Oxen, the Stalls are Clean
This was the phrase floating through my head all morning as I cleaned my house. I cleaned everything. My house has not been this spotless in a long time. I cleaned with joy. I cleaned with a spring in my step. Bean helped me with the more fun parts, like the duster dealie-ma-thingie. The other … Continue reading Where there are no Oxen, the Stalls are Clean
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Mostly, We Laugh
This morning, we changed up the chores. We have so many more animals this year than we did last year at this time, that we spend all morning feeding, watering, milking, and cleaning up after animals, and our garden is still barely in. Today, Scott suggested that I spend all morning (all chore time, that … Continue reading Mostly, We Laugh
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With Everything I am, I Thank You
This morning, in the moments before anything else happened, before anyone needed me, or the morning ritual of hugs all around began, I imagined being there yesterday, in Boston. I imagined the sounds and all I really know of anything this scary, is seeing blood on one of my kids from a bicycle accident. When … Continue reading With Everything I am, I Thank You
