Merely Day By Day

On Sunday, both of my daughters celebrated their first Mother's Day. It had me all nostalgic. I don't remember my first Mother's Day. Time does that.  My first plan was to write a list of things I would suggest for them in the coming years. I started thinking back to all the things I would do differently. Of course, that led me to all the things I also wouldn't change. Raising our kids was such a delight - and a lot of hard work. That's just how it is. It quickly became abundantly clear that there isn't a list of ways to perfect this motherhood thing and keep yourself afloat. Instead I think I would just have to say... Be kind to yourself.  On the days you could sleep  standing up.  when you aren't sure  the best way forward.  when you're certain you can't continue.  Be kind to yourself. There will be times when your child is sick and you'll wonder if they need a doctor. when they are challenging, and you'll wonder the best way help them grow...

This post is part of   Slice of Life Challenge   Thanks  Stacey  and  Ruth :   Two Writing Teachers #slice2013   25 of 31 It's Memory Monday so here's a little story about our trip out west. It's spring break and I'm sitting on my couch looking at a backyard blanketed in snow.  At least it's a pretty snow with white fluffy flakes piled in layers on the trees and covering the still brown ground.  All of this snow is making me want to take vacation someplace warm.  We've been fortunate to take some great vacations with our kids, but the best was the year we traveled out west.   It was hot July when we packed our van with our three kids and all we would need for several weeks of travel.  The sun sizzled as we put the final items into the van and closed the doors.  We were traveling from Ohio to Washington state, then through Oregon, down to California, over to Arizona, and home.  To cut down on the ...

I can't believe it is the last day of this challenge.  This has gone way better than my exercise plans.  Thank you so much to Stacey and Ruth , Two Writing Teachers , for bringing together this community.  My hope was to establish a writing habit, but more than that I have learned so much from all the participants.  I've learned the world is full of stories, we just have to slow down long enough to capture them.   What's next?  My plan is to continue to write on Tuesdays by participating in the weekly Slice of Life .  For the month of April I'm going to join Mary Lee Hahn and write a poem a day.  Why not.    "Fill your paper with breathings of your heart,"   William Wordsworth .   It doesn’t seem long ago we dropped our oldest daughter off for college.  Cortney has always had an interest in reading.  Actually to say she has an interest would be a huge understatement.  She is definitely #nerdybookc...

During this challenge I've been skimming through books I've collected about writing for inspiration and guidance.  It won't surprise anyone that Donald Murray keeps finding his way into my hands.  He said something about the difference between narrative and essay that caught my attention, "The essay looks at the narrative experience critically - emphatically but evaluative - putting experience in a larger context, trying on the patterns of meaning hidden within the experience." ( Crafting a Life in Essay, Story, Poem p. 57)   What?  I was pretty happy with myself for managing to get a piece written each day and now this.  However, Murray challenges us to take narrative to the next step by turning into a personal essay.  He might be onto something.  I suppose it is true that the people who enjoy our narratives the most are our families and friends.  What about the stranger that stops by?  Does our writing speak to them?  Here's my first...