real, raw motherhood
Meet Marcelo Garcia, 4th degree Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt, 5-time World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, 4-time ADCC Submission Fighting World Champion, member of the IBJJF Hall of Fame, the third BJJ athlete to be inducted into the ADCC Hall of Fame, and the best pound for pound submission grappler EVER! He’s also our dear friend. Last night,…
As much as I like Christmas, the week that follows also holds a very special place in my heart. It is a time to look ahead and decide what I want to work on, determine who I want to become and design a plan to accomplish as much of it as possible in the upcoming…
Every Christmas, I order a personalized ornament with a photo of our daughter that represents the past year. In the process, I usually take a moment to look at the many wonderful snapshots of our little girl. The curls. The chubby cheeks. The twinkly eyes and dimpled smiles. So adorable. This year, however, the photos…
It’s happened again. December is here. There’s a tree in our living room, garlands in the stairways, rolls of wrapping paper leaning against the wall, and Christmas earrings dangling from my earlobes. December is an interesting month. A hinge of sorts between past and future. Most of us are occupied with preparing for the present Christmas season.…
We’ve been together more years than I had been alive when we first met. 25 years since I met my American star! A quarter of a century. Two and half decades. 300 months. By any time measuring standards, it’s been a while! I was 21 on that fateful June, 11th, 1997 and still 21 when…
Close to 20% of the population in the USA is diagnosed with depression. If you’re standing with 4 other people, chances are at least one is depressed. Assuming it’s not you, can you tell who? My guess is that you can’t. I am very lively. I easily strike up a conversation. I smile a lot.…
My husband always cites my ability to change as my superpower. How ironic that when we navigated the ups and downs of our first years of marriage, I kept proclaiming: “This is who I am! I can’t change!” There’s no mystery as to why I thought that. I had been raised in a culture that…
I just finished listening to Wuthering Heights, having read it only once before, in French, when I was no more than 17 years old. I remembered it as one of my favorite novels but had no recollection whatsoever of the story or its characters. It was with great curiosity that I returned to the Heights…
Today is my last day as a 44 year old. The COVID 19 global pandemic has defined this past year. Quarantines. Social distancing. Masks. Trying to stay healthy. Trying to stay alive. Hoping that those you love will too. So many people did die. Some I knew: my friend’s father; a long time student of our…
My dear precious A, I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. I felt so privileged to be in that room and witness the miracle of your birth. You were the first angel I met in real life and you filled our hearts with awe and wonder. Back when you were little,…