real, raw motherhood
Close to 20% of the population in the USA is diagnosed with depression. If you’re standing with 4 other people, chances are at least one is depressed. Assuming it’s not you, can you tell who? My guess is that you can’t. I am very lively. I easily strike up a conversation. I smile a lot.…
My husband always cites my ability to change as my superpower. How ironic that when we navigated the ups and downs of our first years of marriage, I kept proclaiming: “This is who I am! I can’t change!” There’s no mystery as to why I thought that. I had been raised in a culture that…
September 29, 2021 Dear Mrs. B R: Mahalo for contacting me with your opposition to vaccination requirements and restrictions. Let me begin by stressing that I do not support forced vaccinations and am not aware of any efforts by the federal government to force citizens to get vaccinated against their will. However, I do believe…
“With the shutdown of the port, all Boston business came to a halt. All work stopped. Half the people of Boston- some 7,000- went jobless. Soon they would not even be allowed to fish in their own waters.” Two if by Sea by Leonard Everett Fisher I was reading this book about the American Revolution…
I just finished listening to Wuthering Heights, having read it only once before, in French, when I was no more than 17 years old. I remembered it as one of my favorite novels but had no recollection whatsoever of the story or its characters. It was with great curiosity that I returned to the Heights…
Today is my last day as a 44 year old. The COVID 19 global pandemic has defined this past year. Quarantines. Social distancing. Masks. Trying to stay healthy. Trying to stay alive. Hoping that those you love will too. So many people did die. Some I knew: my friend’s father; a long time student of our…
I have written extensively about my shortcomings as a parent but today, I am sharing one of my strengths: talking about the birds and the bees. A lot of parents are uncomfortable and avoid the subject. Not me! Our daughter has learned male and female anatomy. She’s known about menstruation for years. We’ve discussed ovulation,…
I am a daughter of God, an infinite soul locked into a finite body. Here on a journey of which I do not remember the beginning and for which I cannot imagine the end. The script is mysterious and sealed. Life is perfectly designed yet I am undeniably flawed. Making mistakes is inherently human but…
My dear precious A, I remember the day you were born like it was yesterday. I felt so privileged to be in that room and witness the miracle of your birth. You were the first angel I met in real life and you filled our hearts with awe and wonder. Back when you were little,…
As a kid, I was not naturally organized or orderly. I remember my mom telling me more than once: “I don’t want to see your house when you grow up and how messy it’s going to be!” (Well mom, you got your wish!). Once I became a teenager, I craved order more. In the closet,…