I want to tell you about someone who loves me. He has loved me all my life, from the time I was in my mother's womb. He loved me when I was frail and helpless and messy and when I said silly or ridiculous things; still he loved me. He did not abandon me when …
Category: Personal Journey
My Sister’s Response When I Bemoaned my Consumer Status
Recently I tried to get a "real job." Not that what I do right now isn't work. But most of what I do is pro bono, gratis, charity-- you know, housework. A too-good-to-be-true opportunity came my way, so I dropped everything summer and spent five hours updating my 20-year-old resume. I somehow managed to …
Continue reading My Sister’s Response When I Bemoaned my Consumer Status
The Dangers of a Life Without Cable TV
I hope they didn't throw any poo today. My friend's email ended with those words. No jk. No lol. I'm dead serious. This highlights the reality of our existences raising boys. I came home from a lovely walk with my husband to find my boys and her boys (all between the ages of 8 & 12) …
To The Woman I Rear-Ended Today,
The answer to your question, "What the hell is wrong with [me]?" is that I'm flawed, human. Thankfully that obvious and inescapable fact no longer plagues me as it once did. It used to be such a burden, trying to appear just so, to wear the masks of got-it-togetherness, brilliance, wit, savvy. I never felt …
Learning From Experience
Recently Luke (12 years old) was given an assignment to relate an experience in which he learned something valuable. The catch: the lesson could not come from a book. Funny that we now consider experiential learning to be the exception rather than the rule. Curve ball coming: when have you learned something from your life? …
We didn’t like that anyway.
"We didn't like that couch anyway," my son said with the glazed look of a soldier recently returned from a violent front. In our family that sentence is code. It means: The dog just ate x. I was in bed reading. I didn't believe him at first. Mostly because my son is joking 90% of …
Memories That Define Me
Gymnastics. That defined me. We practiced two nights a week and four hours on Saturdays. Meets were Sundays. I breathed gymnastics and can still mentally perform a round-off, back-handspring, double full twist. That's 360° twice while revolving in plank position. And I can even get this 41-year-old body to perform it off a diving board. …
Declaration of Independence
... from the tyranny of Public Opinion. Let me not be brought low by the low opinions others have of me. And let my heart not be set on medals of praise and affirmation, but may it be on a "Well done." My perception of the contents of man's mind is faulty anyway. But even …
Love, Wrapped Up
It's Christmas time. And as Scroogie as it is to talk about this, most of what my thoughts gravitate toward is... money. I wish it weren't true. I am constantly planning how I can get awesome, appropriate, and unique gifts at the best prices. A fourth generation bargain Betty, I can't resist a thrift …
The Apple in my Eye
Apple picking. You can't do it at very many orchards anymore. Now I know why. We're why. Apple baseball, apple basketball, apple golf, apple Frisbee, apple explosion... those rotting apples under the trees didn't stand a chance. It got me to thinking about the element of fun inherent in destruction. It's why kids like to knock …
KL Griffiths 