Who am I? What is my identity? I can hear the legions of women asking themselves that question as they ponder Lisa-Jo’s weekly prompt over at The Gypsy Mama. I’ll bet that “Mom” tops the list. After all, when you have children, you become a parent. You might still have a job outside the home, […]
Five Minute Friday-Together
“Let’s have a monthly family dinner night gathering!” Ideas. I have so many. And typically they involve quite a few people. And a scope and size that doesn’t scale most of the time. But this one did. I think naming it as a goal and giving it a deadline certainly helped. So we made plans, […]
Big gift in a tiny package
I look back over the rocky chasms and green fields of the past almost 30 years, and zoom in on those beginning months that were shaping me to be a parent. Yes, we were excited to be having our first, don’t get me wrong. It’s just, well, I didn’t like being pregnant. It wasn’t magical […]
Five Minute Friday-Loud
Shhhh. Can’t you just be quiet? Are you sure you want to wear that outfit? Don’t you want to be pretty? Don’t you want to be liked? Do you really think that joining that group is a good idea? Uh oh. I can hear my inner child ramping up the volume in response. But I’m […]
Five Minute Friday-Brave
photo: stevendepolo Brave? That word used to send me scurrying under the bed with my good buddies the dust bunnies. They were good company: quiet, companionable, and most importantly, asked nothing of me. We’d just rest there until Miss Fearsome Opportunity stopped her insistent knocking on the door and moved along to scare share with […]
Five Minute Friday-Empty
Empty. That word can bring up images of being wrung out and worn out, of having nothing left to give to your family, of gray days and long, dark nights. How about instead, we view it as an opportunity, of a clear and lovely place, delightfully awaiting the Master’s touch? We can imagine ourselves and […]
Five Minute Friday-Ache
The ache of motherhood. It’s like being at a banquet and eating the best dessert ever topped with bits of jalepanos and drops of vinegar. Sweet. And oh so very snappy. And also sometimes unpleasantly sour. Bites of deliciously delightful love, that somehow are layered with occasional tastes of hot anger, and sometimes, too, a […]
Your ticket out of the desert
The desert. That familiar hot and dry and endless place, where the winds howl to the world about the depth of my worthlessness and tear at the shreds of my self-esteem. Where the flying grains of sand sting at my conscience and blind me to my gifts. I have been there and done that, and […]
Five Minute Friday-Grit
Ahh, the feel of the warm sand at the beach as you curl your toes and gather up its gritty wonderfulness. The joy of watching your little one toddle around with glee, her round bottom plopping down as she bends to discover another treasure, her chubby fingers grabbing a small handful of the seashore and […]
Five Minute Friday-Delight
Delight, oh my! Colorful, bubbly, tinkling, shimmering, bright and shiny. Delight… …in my children as they grow and even as they challenge me, for without the difficult times I would not appreciate the absolute wonderfulness of who they are. …in my husband as our love continues to grow, as we realize we have been […]