Rest

We took note of the peace rest brings this weekend with several relationships we have with other families who have children. As a parent, it feels so great to check in with each other and ask,”Are we still good to get together or do we need to reschedule?” I love the option of the give […]

Persistence

 In the middle of suburbia, in a strip mall no less, we discovered a surprise from nature, the crimson seeds of the mountain laurel hiding within tan seed pods. Fall always amazes me with the sheer number of seeds that plants produce, seeming to know what kind of persistence it takes for even one to […]

Footfive

Last night at bedtime, when our son refused to hug or say goodnight, Michael offered him the option of a “footfive.” “Sure!” he said. Like a high five, but done foot-to-foot, a “footfive” is one of the options we’ve developed over the years to give our kids ways to connect with us that are different […]

Fart

Conversation overhead at a school: Dad: How was your day? Son: Great! I farted in the middle of class! Many children, especially many boys, enjoy literature about farts, if you’re willing to consider fart and literature in the same sentence. No two ways about it–the surprise, the disgust, the visceral experience captures their attention nearly […]

Elders

Last Saturday, we counted the elders in our lives among our blessings. Both blood relatives and guides we’ve found, our elders sustain us in millions of practical and emotional ways–help with caring for our children, as well as giving us the scent and beauty of a rose from their gardens. Last weekend, Michael’s mom came […]

Reset

In attempting this 40 consecutive days of blogging, I’ve stumbled once before and missed one day. Then for the past few days, you could say I’ve been in face plant mode, missing many days! I deeply apologize and take responsibility. For a second I thought, How humiliating! Maybe I should just give up. Then  I wondered […]

Nature

Yesterday, as we read about the sensation felt by children in Thailand sinking their feet into rice paddies, gentle rain tickled our own feet. Under an awning, we sat on the “back porch” of our new center for The Living Bridge Academy, our day program. With all of our senses engaged as we read, no […]

Silence

“No music now, Mama,” my son requested after listening to two songs, even though he’d asked for the rowdy animal farm music in the first place. (Don’t get me wrong; we do rock out in morning traffic some days and we love, love, love it!) This time I sensed his request was more than a […]

Path

We take turns holding each other up, don’t we? But we need to ask for the support. Sometimes we’re too proud to ask; other times we’re in such a bind that we don’t really know what exactly we need to get back on the path. Facing a wilderness of unknowns, Michael and I keep passing […]

Peace

Peace. It does not mean to be in a place where there is no noise, trouble or hard work. It means to be in the midst of those things and still be calm in your heart.  –Unknown As people of action, some of the most challenging work for Michael and I as parents comes from […]