Dear Children,

Dear Children,

You are precious to me.  I loved you before you were born.  I prayed and asked God for you.  From the time the little blue lines matched on the pregnancy tests, I was ecstatic.  I couldn’t wait to begin the journey of motherhood.  It’s been quite a trip.  From feeling you both kick inside of me, to laboring to bring you into this world, to holding you for the first time, to  knowing that you were a physical extension of me, I have appreciated every moment.  I have watched you grow into a young man and a young woman who have made me proud over and over again.   I am fully aware what a blessing it is to call you son and daughter.  The best vocation I have had (and ever will have) is being “mom.”  Please listen carefully, I love you (up to heaven and back). I will always love you.  No matter where life sends us, or how quickly time passes, I will treasure you.  I will never give up on you.  You will always be my children.  I will always be your mom.  Your fingerprints are permanently imprinted on my heart.

Love,

Mom

How to Survive a Bombing

Bombs get dropped daily.  Some affect small surface areas, some impact large areas, some hit very near cores.

How to survive a bombing:

1. Remain calm (easier said than done)
2. Take cover under a sturdy object (like a neutral expression)
3. Be prepared to evacuate (if the situation escalates)
4. Remember there are still people who could want to do you harm (there are also people who don’t intentionally want to do you harm but harm you anyway)
5. Stay away from anything that could implode on you (impossible when emotions are involved)
6. Deal with the aftermath (whether you want to or not)

Remember that bombings often occur when you are least prepared and don’t expect them.  No matter what preparations you made beforehand, they will present with the element of surprise.  Don’t blame yourself.  There was nothing you could do to prevent them. Pick up the bloodied pieces and stitch yourself back together.  You will survive.

Ship Shape

Okay, so this is not a post for men (guys, you were forewarned).   Women and female friends, you know the feeling I’m describing.  Overwhelmed?  Yep, good old life again.  Sick kids who get better, get worse, a text from your ex-husband saying your son has a high fever and is vomiting, a call from the school’s clinic nurse saying to, “Please come get your daughter now.  She came for a nebulizer treatment and has a 103 degree fever.”  All while getting over cold amped up because of asthma that turned to yuck in your chest.  Plus a major exam taken on four hours of un-refreshing sleep.  Work (as much as I do love writing).  Just lovely.

Men might understand some of this, if they are guys like my brother, who are super dads.  But, and I hate those gendered boxes, most of the time it’s we, women, who bear the brunt of it.  Many of us, especially single moms, consider it a spa day if we have time to shave our legs (in 30 seconds or less). Tweezing eyebrows?  It’s a freaking Caribbean cruise!   A bath???  We have to be at a resort.  Our hair must be long enough so we can fling it up in a pony tail.  Slap on a little make-up (Avon of course) and we’re good to go.  Yep, then we get to deal with our monthly visitor and her gifts of ovulation, crabbiness, and the feeling of labor all over again or the host of issues that arrive when we stop receiving house calls from Miss Pain in the A$$ (I have yet to enjoy that).  Fun stuff.

However, despite all of the craziness and the unforeseen incidents that pop up about our kids and our lives, we still wouldn’t trade being women for anything.  So, female friends, here’s to you!  Find some time (any time) this week to sneak off for a walk , lock yourself away for a ten minute bath, savor a cup of herbal tea, and shave those legs at a relaxed pace (take a whole 5 minutes to do it)!  Do something for yourself and forget about feeling guilty about it!!! I’m off to finish my homework (reading ship shape by Dorothea Smart).   I will get my ship into shape.  You will too.  But, it will only be reality, if we jump overboard (at least for a while)!

P.S.  And, for those of you ladies who have no idea what this blog is about (I’ll try not to be too jealous), at some point you might understand.  When you do, just remember, ship shape!!!!