Parent Pain

I've been feeling pretty down about all the things I wish I would have done differently as a parent. When my kids struggle I really begin to understand why! I wrote this poem the other night when I felt so frustrated with myself.


I wish I would have known so long ago
What I know today
I would have packed up all my hopes and dreams
And tucked them tight away.

I wouldn't of worried about the first steps
Or wonder what he'd be
A doctor or a fireman
Or simply grow beyond my knee.

No worries why my daughter was the smallest in her class
And if she'd keep her golden hair
Would she be much stronger than her mom
When other girls would be unfair.

The fears I had so long ago
Why they'd almost make me smile
If I'd had to see my future woes
My heart would choose denial.

You see the rub in all of this
As I sit her now today
Is all the things I didn't fear
Have happened anyway.

Why didn't someone tell me
That a room mother couldn't save the day
Or a scout leader and a volunteer
Can't make her children stay.

How could I dare waste one breath
Saying how the day would come
When my grown-up kids would be just fine
How could I be so dumb?

I find it so ironic
You need a permit to hunt the wild
Or a certificate to adopt a cat
But no license to raise your child.

Devotional on website

Check out my devotional on the "More Than You Can Imagine" website!
http://www.morethanyouimagine.org/Nourish068000000.htm

Ultimate Garage Sale

My husband and I are doing the craziest thing. We are leaving suburbia, where you don't see trashcans, people don't park on the street and all of the lawns are mowed at perfect angles. Actually, we aren't going anywhere until our house sells which as you can imagine is going really well with the market yo yo spinning about. Without a lot of sleepless nights and over-the-top fretting, we decided we were moving downtown to a loft. We became empty-nesters and decided to let go of all of the crap we thought we needed and move onto a new phase of life. We had a huge garage sale and sold virtually everything we own other than personal items and the stuff needed to stage our house for sale. Not a tear was shed as all the things traveled off our driveway, David and I don't talk about missing anything in fact we talk about the absolute freedom of letting go of all the stuff that never really mattered in the first place. It's amazing how many years of acquiring various things, to prove what successes we were, to realize that things don't make us a success at all in fact they don't even make you happy. I wish I would have figured that out years and years ago but of course that is a problem as old as time...if I only knew then. For now we wait for that particular family who will love our house as much as we have, who will raise their kids here, decorate for Christmas, stay up too late and go to bed too early. As much as I will miss the memories here, I will eagerly look forward to creating new ones. You may be wondering why we chose downtown Kansas City as our next area to live...that's for another blog day.

Why Am I Starting a Blog?

I'd much rather be coloring...yes, coloring. I can't just sit, so I color, I'm quite good at it. I'm the only person I know who puts my own pictures on my fridge! As I said, I'd rather be creating a lovely work of art but no, I'm blogging. Believe me, I can't imagine who would bother to read it...I'm barely interested in myself, there are so many more fascinating people out there. But, on advice from cutting edge technology type folks, I'm supposed to blog. If you are still reading...bless you.
Since there are relatively few interesting tidbits about me, I'll only share this simple one for now...get ready...I was in the front row of the last concert of Elvis. Calm down. I was in the 7th grade and I sure didn't want to go to it. Though he was overweight, vision impaired, under the influence, and unable to remember some words...Elvis was amazing. Imagine how incredible he would have be 10 years before.
That's it. I'm exhausted, plus it wouldn't be a proper night without getting at least one picture colored!