real, raw motherhood
If all the flowers were roses,If never daisies grew,If no old-fashioned posiesDrank in the morning dew,Then man might have some reasonTo whimper and complain,And speak these words of treason,That all our toil is vain. If all the stars were SaturnsThat twinkle in the night,Of equal size and patterns,And equally as bright,Then men in humble places,With…
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…
Regardless of what one believes about its creation, there is no doubt that the universe follows a wondrous order. Stars, orbits, tides, sunrises, sunsets, the way ants and bees work… It is not only awe inspiring, it actually makes sense. Human beings follow milestones of development as well but, as a parent, I can’t say…
Last month, I decided to start writing again and I set a goal to publish weekly as I used to do several years ago. I’ve met the goal four weeks in a row, an encouraging start. It was even easier than anticipated. Inspiration had been close at hand. But today, it doesn’t feel easy. In…
I just heard a man tell a story to illustrate how insecure he was, how much he cared about the opinion of his peers and how that caused him to act contrary to his true self well into his early adulthood. It got me wondering. How do we become ourselves? What makes us, us? Any…
I signed up as a chaperone for my daughter’s most recent camping trip. One evening, I was making my way to the restrooms by tiptoeing behind a group of teenage boys when one of them interjected in my direction: “if you kill yourself, do you go to hell or heaven?” I am rarely speechless but…
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 am a daughter of God, an infinite soul locked into a finite body. Here on a journey of which I do not remember the beginning and for which I cannot imagine the end. The script is mysterious and sealed. Life is perfectly designed yet I am undeniably flawed. Making mistakes is inherently human but…
As a kid, I was not naturally organized or orderly. I remember my mom telling me more than once: “I don’t want to see your house when you grow up and how messy it’s going to be!” (Well mom, you got your wish!). Once I became a teenager, I craved order more. In the closet,…