While I exhale, I miss the gentle smiles of empathy from fellow weary travelers on this parenting road. I miss the community acknowledgment of the passage of time, no matter how short, no matter how small an accomplishment may seem.
They caught on. “Why didn’t you do what you wanted to do?” They don’t outwardly say that I’m boring or seem disappointed that it might sound like I’ve settled. All those belittling thoughts are reserved for my own head.
my daughters best? Am I stagnant, just present, and reliable while looking nice and adding ambiance? Or does love mean coming alongside them, ignoring the voices of those that might pity our family structure, and reaching for the light?
Today has cleats and crafts instead of highchairs, carpools and Minecraft instead of playgroups. God willing, tomorrow will have varsity sports and driver’s tests, followed by packed bags and first jobs.
I dropped the paperwork on my desk in an exhausted heap. It landed on top of another pile of forms, scattered haphazardly across the space. This buried an additional pile of documents, each with more pressure, disguised as helpful guidance, for parents trying to educate their children at home. Even with the support of their … [Read more…]
“If I leave the ingredients and a twenty on your porch, can you make dinner for my family?” “Well, sure!” I responded, glad to see my friend’s relieved look. He was the oldest of four boys, whose wise mother required her sons to cook each weeknight. My friend, all the wiser, decided to outsource his … [Read more…]
As the most trusted profession, we must learn to trust ourselves, and to recognize our limits as we provide compassionate care to our entrusted patients.
The length of a shopping cart seems like enough distance. I wait outside in the crisp March air, as a line snakes around the Costco entrance. The store doesn’t open for another 20 minutes; this seems foreboding at best. A stream of texts ping through on my phone, and while most of them are forgotten … [Read more…]
Since, truly, I knew that my role, the one that I’d been anticipating all these years, was just starting. Now, we got to raise our girls.
In our attempts to move away from urgency, I’m reminded that being thoughtful does not mean that we have become complacent, defeated, or lazy. Instead, we attempt to move through life giving attention where it’s deserved. If we are always multi-tasking, hurried, and rushed, there is little space to be thoughtful. By savoring the moments we have in front of us, we can contribute to the hidden blessings already in our midst.