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Camping and Turning 3
It is the day after Wookie’s third birthday, and this morning while we lay in bed listening to the chatter from the boys’ room, Scooby firmly told him, “It’s not your birthday anymore, so you’re not in charge.” It’s tough being five and having your little brother rule the roost for an entire day. Actually, it was more like four days, as we went camping up on Lake Kerr in lieu of a formal birthday party. Equipped with a new…
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The Myth of the Highest Calling
When I was trudging through my first pregnancy, what caught me off guard wasn’t all the strange physical changes that overtook my body or the people who felt the liberty to bowl through my carefully constructed arm’s length bubble of comfort to make friendly with their hands on my belly. What caught me off guard was the way my self-perception so drastically changed. The week before I got the double pink line on the pee stick, I’d walked across the…
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Post PPD, Church, and the Struggle to Believe
My feelings towards my church of 10+ years are ambiguous at best. Where I’ve landed today is with gratitude for and love of my immediate community of believers, those I’ve held close and who have done the same with me, yet disengagement with and distrust of my church. I won’t say exactly what events have led to this place, but I know the ache in my heart I feel over those on the fringe – those whose marriage status, gender,…
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Regrets and Insecurities
What looks like a highly productive and diverse life, to me often feels like a smattering of shallow wading pools across the surface of a life that was meant to go much deeper. As I’ve rounded the corner of 30 and am well on my way to 33, I’m proud of my accomplishments – stable marriage, two kids, PhD in engineering, small pottery business, funky little vegetable garden, and yet I can’t help a feeling of disappointment that creeps in…
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Art for All – First Away Show
Tomorrow I head to Wilmington for my first art show outside of the Triangle. I have spent the week doing a little preparation each day, which involved pricing pieces, buying a 6′ and 4′ folding table, boxing up pieces, buying special treats and easy dinners to make the weekend go smoothly at home for the boys, cleaning off my iphone so it runs smoothly, going to Ornamentea to finish off some necklaces and pendants, and buying a second card reader.…
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Carrying Fear
When the news report began to spread on Friday that another mass murder occurred, and that it was at an elementary school, my initial reaction was to hug my boys and think, There’s no way in hell I’m sending my kid to kindergarten next year. That’s the last straw. There’s still a good chance my kids will be be going to public school, but this was my initial reaction. Draw the chicks in closer to the nest and not let…
