Thursday, May 13, 2004

My mom wrote me this morning, saying "It's awfully quiet in blogland." Blogland is Barfland. There's no prettier way to phrase it. I should take her suggestions seriously: 1. Photo-document said barfing for future reference and 2. Freeze small baggy of barf for aversion therapy when contemplating 5th child. She also sent me a beautiful pair of bracelets and earrings, in a barf bag. It's a Good Thing.

A few weeks ago, when I could still think with both eyes open, I imagined that I could be a super journalist and record all my feelings and great insights as a woman in the beautiful state of pregnancy. I thought I would be so fluent and poetic about the natural and magical moments of my condition, that a book would take form. Reality: answering the phone makes me nauseous, it's easier to throw up potato chips than Lean Cuisine, my "good" time of day is between 4 a.m. and 6 a.m., and it's taking me 7 minutes to finish this sentence.

I have Mother's Day gifts for Delia and Ruth, and some things I've been meaning to send to Bill and Alison. I did remember to pay the rent, and I am still teaching the boys. We are learning to read graphs, and about nutrition. I can load the dishwasher, and I have even cooked some meals. Yesterday Max and I started a list of things we missed. He asked if these are lost things, and I explained that they are just things we haven't done, but we will do when my stomach is less cranky. The list includes, going to the duck park, camping, and riding his bicycle down the big hill. We'll get there.

Sunday, May 09, 2004


Grandma Nancy's Garden Quilt

Happy Mother's Day. Happy Mother's Day to my mom, and Geoff's mom, to our grandmothers, and aunts, to the women who've loved us and cared for us and contributed to our lives. Geoff and I have this amazing wealth of mothers in our lives. We have had the special blessing of knowing our own mothers, as well as our grandmothers, and even great grandmothers. I have dear aunts who have nurtured and encouraged me, and family friends, such caring women, that they were mothers too. My own mother gave me life and sustained me; she also made room in my world for a million experiences and opportunities from other women, other perspectives. This has been enriching, like a tapestry, or quilt that is of many pieces but bound to together by thoughtful gestures and secure threads. All the moms we have known have made us better, happier, and more beautiful. I hope that our lives and our deeds are a respectful and gracious reflection of the love those women have given us.

And I would like to thank all the moms, the caring women in our lives, that enrich my own children's lives. You make my life better, and you make the lives of my sons better. Thank you for your thoughtful gestures, gifts, kind encouragement, patience, and support. Thank you for reminding them to say "thank you." Thank you for knowing their strengths, as well as their weaknesses, and accepting them wholly. Thank you for sharing your skills and points of view, your time and love. We appreciate you very much.