When I was a kid, there was a time when I would race home from school so that I could watch the Brady Bunch on TV. She has three daughters, he has three sons and they marry–they children have squabbles, to be certain, but they were always lovingly and successfully resolved at the end of …
Necessary losses
We know, as parents, from the moment we give birth to a child, that this precious being is only entrusted to us for a time. I knew one day that my child would leave. I knew that in my head…but didn’t ever think about facing the reality with my heart. We raise our children with …
Tale of a Wedding: JTM’s
I have loved my Junior Tribe Members since before they were conceived. I have been their mother all of their lives. I have worked to provide a stable base and safe haven for them, particularly during times of transition–and our family has had periods of significant shifts. Their sense of security came first for me…and …
Tale of a Wedding Part 3
I respected him before I knew him, and liked him as a human being before I loved him as more. He is someone I have fun with, am supported by, and challenges me. In him was a man I couldn’t imagine being without. He is someone I want to invest in, and make his life …
Tale of a Wedding Part 2
At a wedding we usually talk about the wedding bands being a perfect circle, with no beginning and no end. But we all know that these rings do have a beginning. Rock is dug up from the earth. Metal is liquefied in a furnace, then molded, and painstakingly polished. Something beautiful is made out of …
Tale of a Wedding Part 1
Life took an incredibly sharp right turn for me this last winter when I met the man who is so special and so supportive and so loving and so kind I can’t imagine spending my life without him. He’s one of those men who has loved and was loved well in the past…a long and …
Mothering is an attitude
For a lotta years, I was a single mom to my Junior Tribe Members. There wasn’t always enough of me to go around with the driving and cooking and working and supporting and talking and cleaning and all the other things that all mothers do every day. One of my JTM was on a team …
Disappointed but appreciative
And here’s another thoughtful thought from Sabrina Friesen… I am mama to a sports fanatic. My little guy learned his letters and how to sound out words by writing out the team rosters for the Blue Jays, Steelers, and the Jets. He’s learned how to Google search players and team lists, and spends countless hours …
Imperfections: Glue for Grace
(Ok…fair warning. I’m getting married real soon. I get that he and I are in an idealized moony-eyed phase where we are understanding and accommodating. I get that there will be days when it won’t always be this easy, or that automatic. But I’m also determined to hold onto the beauty of what is. I’ve …
A letter to Car: me
Dear Carolyn, A letter to Carolyn, from Carolyn. That can sorta catch people off guard, including me. Why do we have to have the same name?!! It’s wonderful to be in love and getting married. I’m loving my life, excited about my future, and planning details of a wedding to the man of my dreams. …