Tell me about those dreams you seek there in that vast wasteland that borders risk and reward and floods of joy all promised by a single drop of rain tell me about the hope you’ve found dancing across ripples on the water while looking for answers hidden in silvery trees in a forest of proud cacti tell me about it And as tomorrow floats like … Continue reading Tell Me
Smiles and a promise back when time moved slowly… delicious in daily tasks satisfying in simplicity Sometimes we’d sleep on the porch lit with candles and let the ocean breeze wash away our troubles Single-handed focus on dreams meant for a life we had planned, not knowing where our path would lead, back when the future was yet reimagined Somehow we made it through twists … Continue reading Mother’s Pride
This week’s Saturday Sound Bites Prompt: What are three thoughts that made you smile today? This was a rough week but my new mantra is to find that silver lining. My son has arrived in Phoenix – some 2500 miles from home. I miss him terribly but when we spoke yesterday, I was struck by how happy he seemed. That was a comfort and reminded … Continue reading Saturday Sound Bites – Smiles
We were invincible a force we created through mutual determination and love..and love We learned together and grew together We laughed and we cried together A single mom and her kids, we were strong because we had to be, because we needed to be because we knew we could be Years passed in starts and stops We marked milestones in our own … Continue reading Together
Can’t quite put my finger on it This feeling lingering just out of reach as the world shifts again With arms flailing he could reach for something safe to hold as his head spins and spins What he once knew is gone What is just ahead is a mystery What could be ignites his soul Transformations abound touching everything and everyone that he holds dear … Continue reading Transformations
Tonight we celebrate No worries for tomorrow No regret for yesterday We are present in this moment Hand in hand, sharing the same smile Accomplishments measured by so much more than a slip of paper Marked by years of struggle Baptized in a fair share of tears Punctuated by each small victory along the way Tonight we celebrate Our joy echoed as the band plays … Continue reading Tonight We Celebrate
It’s waiting that is most difficult My stomach churns as I force each breath to leave my compressed chest and gasp, starved for the next shaky inhalation Emotion becomes its own entity A twisted tangle of dreams, fears, anticipation that crushes awareness of anything else I am weightless as I meander through surreal days Years upon years striving toward this goal that many times seemed … Continue reading Graduation
Plans and promises made over a lifetime Best intentions and all the right reasons Thought I knew best My way was the right way Thought I knew All I never knew Balance shifted s l o w l y Frustration grew exponentially Time to relinquish control No room for the pity party every bit of me craves I’m handing over the reins Only took the … Continue reading Blue Skies Ahead
There is danger in wanting nothing There is risk in giving up There is uncertainty in your path ahead As you traverse the days ahead I give you nothing Nothing No condemnation as you choose your path No judgement if you sway from the one I had planned No false promises that the coming days will all be perfect No conditions Bribing you to … Continue reading Divergent Path
Finally got that key
Been searching, exploring, inquiring for years
From the day you were born Continue reading “The Key”
Just for today your eyes are focused Do you see me? All those days spent trapped in your world Do you recognize me? Haunted by memories of yesterdays frustrated by forgotten todays Do you remember how I held your hand? Hold on to this moment We’ll savor it together Until the clouds roll back in tomorrow … Continue reading Forget-Me-Nots
The National Center for Learning Disabilities has stunning information regarding struggling students in the United States. The organization states “While some educational outcomes for students with learning disabilities have shown improvements in recent years, overall they remain unacceptably low.” Here is a summary of the facts. Close to half of secondary students with LD perform more than three grade levels below their enrolled grade in … Continue reading Not a Statistic
Two of my three children have asthma, and although I tend to be fairly laid-back, this is one condition that has always worried me. When my daughters were very young, I became well acquainted with the symptoms and treatments of this disease and monitored any slight cough or wheeze with extreme trepidation. My daughter, Mary-Kate, was hospitalized for several days in 2007 because she could … Continue reading Irresponsible Reporting
You are my sunshine, my only sunshine You make me happy when skies are grey You never know, dear, how much I love you Please don’t take my sunshine away Dear God, It’s me again….the one who prayed for my boy when he was in his first Little League Game. I begged you not to let them stop the game so he could tie … Continue reading You Are My Sunshine
Somewhere in the moments between July and August, there is a shift. It’s almost imperceptible, yet parents and children feel it. The laid-back vibe of summer becomes replaced with an anticipatory Back to School environment. It’s seasonal, cyclical, and unavoidable. “Back to School” sales explode in every medium like proverbial rabbits. Somewhere in the moments between August and September, school resumes, engaging entire populations in … Continue reading Back to School
Although I teach middle school kids, there is great joy in interacting with the little ones. I’m lucky to work in a K-8 school because I have the opportunity to interact with very young children on a daily basis. If you are looking for a daily chuckle, visit a primary classroom. When I first returned to teaching, I worked with kindergarten-aged children. I was going … Continue reading Unintended Humor
Dance: to leap, skip, etc., as from excitement or emotion; move nimbly or quickly: to dance with joy. We recently moved, and months later, I’m still unpacking and sorting boxes of memories. I pulled out some old cds today as I worked, and as soon as I hit “play,” images of times gone by flooded my mind. My private listening party transported me to a … Continue reading Dance With Your Children
Motherhood is a curious thing – exhausting, consuming, sometimes frightening, often times rewarding. As my children reach the cusp of young adulthood, I’ve been reminiscing about the years that led us here. Feeling the need to go back to those days, I pulled a collection of old essays off the shelf. I wrote this almost exactly seven years ago when my son was ten. Seems … Continue reading Trip to the Emergency Room
