Run, Laugh, Eat, Repeat

When I read this post yesterday on finding joy , I was overwhelmed with emotion and tears ran down my face.  At the time I didn't consider it a miracle, but an overwhelming connection with moms and the daily challenges we collectively face. The raw emotion that she shared and was able to convey was overwhelming to me.  And as I continued to read I realized that I am part of a much larger community that face the same laughter and tears on a daily basis.  It connected me to something much greater than myself, my family, my familiarity … it connected me to my ability to parent. It brought to me a place of understanding, compassion and community.  It brought me a sense of peace that I am not alone, and I'll never be alone in this place we call parenting.  And that brought a sense of relief ... Here's a link to that post: this is what moms need to remember

Sunday we celebrated the feast of the Holy Family at church.  I'll admit I was rather crabby when we got there - it nearly took an act of Congress to get my family out the door.  "Are we going to church this morning?"  "It's Sunday isn't it?  YES We're GOING!"  Which is not a question asked infrequently over the course of the last several weeks … And perhaps figuring into the frustration of the morning is today is the sixth day of us all being home together.  And not on what I'd call a vacation … not with the constant picking up after them, meal planning - preparing - serving - cleaning up … oh and then there's the lack of quiet from the televisions!  Shall I go on?  I think not.  It's time for a change, isn't it. And then there's the thought of going back to work this week.  That thought is not being met with overwhelming feelings of longing either … Honestly I'm just not ready to begin again with a sense of renewed e...

I've been fortunate to be able to find a miracle every day during the month of December.  As I record them the day after they occurred, yesterday marked twenty-eight days - in a row.  That's quite a feat, if I do say so myself.  And to honest, some days have been harder than others.  Is that because I didn't look hard enough, or because I was supposed to look harder.  Or that in the end the miracle was quiet and subtle - only revealing itself in my reflection back on the day …. In any event, I've been able to record one for each day during the month of December.  And this practice has taught me things I didn't realize about myself.  I'm known for my optimism, and finding the bright spot or the opportunity for learning in what comes my way, that much I knew.  What I learned was deeper than that.  Seems when I chose to focus finding a miracle and shared it within my circle, they too, were focused on the miracle … weird, huh? In a way th...

I have always believed that one should have friends who are both older and younger, male and female as well as near and far.  The diversity of these friends provides perspective and offers a wide variety of opinions and resources.  These are the friendships that I seek.  These are the friends that I value and have grown to depend on, especially as I've moved twice in the last four years. One of these friendships is with a young woman I met about a year and a half ago after our move to Illinois.  She's nearly twenty years younger than me, meaning I could almost be her mom, yet we seems to fit together like hand to glove.  We worked together for a short time and then she was promoted and moved to my hometown!  Wow, talk about fate! We then became even closer as she prepared to move, and consequently made trips back and forth.  Her 'home' is where I live, and my 'home' is where she currently lives.  Unique set of circumstances, huh? We have...

My daughter and I have kept up our walking routine each day now.  Moving from 1 mile one day, to two walks in a day - one of 1mile and the second of 2 miles.  She's starting to jog just a bit, and really getting a good feel from being outside in the air!  We talk about places we'd like to see, things we'd like to do, the sights along the way .. and most importantly the great feeling we get when we're outside! And at one point during a 2-mile walk she said, "I'm tired."  So I used that opportunity to remind her that her body wasn't tired, but her brain was playing tricks on her.  That her body was very strong and resilient!  I reminded her she was strong and brave, and that I believed in her! She smiled broadly and picked up the pace.  And when she raced the last few hundred yards to the front porch she turned and smiled at me saying, "I finished strong Mommy!"  And she was so proud of herself, which is exactly what I had been hop...

Christmas is one of those holidays that can be a huge letdown.  If you let it.  The frenzied, hustle and bustle that the entire season can bring are enough to trigger huge expectations and smaller wallets by the time the day arrives.  There is the presents, the parties, the food and drink - you name it - it's likely more, more, more. Unless you choose differently. This madness is particularly confusing for a child.  The frenzy has the ability to imprint expectations on them as well. This year was different from ones in the past for me.  My daughter was old enough to truly appreciate the lead-in to Christmas through several planned journeys.  The first was Advent where she reads an intention for the day from the calendar on the fridge - for example - 'say thank you to the person who makes your lunch," "teach something to someone younger than you," and "work on sharing today." She took those suggestions seriously and developed a strong sense of...

As Christmas Eve is true to most magical part of the holiday for me, I was thrilled to find miracles throughout the day and well into the night … The earliest part of the day required me to attend to work-related tasks, while continually redirecting my daughter to keep herself occupied so I could finish up.  I wasn't particularly successful, which caused frustration on both our parts.  And then realized it was a day that I skipped lunch, and that was a huge mistake! So as the day progress I knew I couldn't work in a run due to timing of the afternoon events, and became even more frustrated.  I then used this as an opportunity to teach my daughter a way to change your mood. "Let's go for a walk!" I said to her.  "Grab your coat, hat, scarf and gloves.  We're going out!"  And she was game.  We walked just over a mile in the freezing cold wind of the Midwest.  Yet in those moments that we talked and walked we found something … a better mood...