Truth be told, I’ve been woefully disengaged. It’s a symptom of being disenchanted, disgruntled, disheartened. The weight of goings-on in my community, my state, and my country have left me feeling deflated. I’ve been feeling like my voice, no matter how loud, is muted. There are … [Read more...] about Mom Activists Are a Force — “From Changing Diapers to Changing the World”
motherhood
Dimmed Spirits
This year, my Christmas spirit has a flavor peppered with longing, fatigue, and melancholy. Gone is the typical sweetness of the season. Rather than anticipation, I feel dread. A cloud of worry casts its shadow overhead. Actually, it’s more of an all-consuming fog. Time is fluid. … [Read more...] about Dimmed Spirits
Showing Compassion is a Teen Milestone
I admittedly didn’t think of exhibiting compassion as a milestone during the teen years, but when I saw it in my son, it was a staggering revelation. It was during recent events around our national racial reckoning that I saw true compassion unveiled in my teenage son. We had … [Read more...] about Showing Compassion is a Teen Milestone
Missing My (Not So) Little Boy
Fresh air is fuel. I took a walk around the park in my neighborhood the other day to feel the invigorating breeze of early autumn and to clear my head. My son has been away at school 800 miles away for about two months now. Parents' weekend came and went. We already had plans to … [Read more...] about Missing My (Not So) Little Boy
He’s 18 today.
Dear Bird, You are 18 today. EIGHTEEN. It is a strange phenomenon that you grow and age while I retain my youthful glow, eternally stuck in decades far younger than my chronological years. I see in you glimpses of the boy you were, and when you were little I tucked away … [Read more...] about He’s 18 today.
Dear Deal on Your 16th Birthday
Dear Deal, I write this on a cloudy day as I remember the morning you were born 16 years ago, sunny side up. You always hate when I say that. You’re a teenage boy, and I’m a 50-something mom, so you pretty much hate everything I say. But that doesn’t stop me from saying stuff … [Read more...] about Dear Deal on Your 16th Birthday
Smashing & Rebuilding on International Women’s Day
I embroidered this sweatshirt with idle hands the day I learned Helen Reddy died. I remember my mother belting out I Am Woman in the wood-paneled basement of our split-level home where there was a built-in bar with vinyl barstools and the hilarious Mannequin Pis liquor dispenser … [Read more...] about Smashing & Rebuilding on International Women’s Day