I received a call from an unknown number. It was a young gal at Peninsula High calling around 8pm. She said, “Hi, This is Aidynn Oschman, and I am Ryan’s buddy for the Freshmen Link Crew. Freshmen Orientation is Wednesday from 9-12 and Ryan will be in my small group.” My son, Luke, and Aidynn were friends in middle school and I thought may still be friends. I knew she was probably familiar Continue Reading
Dear Mom
Dear Mom, No one warned me when I was pregnant—that I may be a mother…without my mother. It’s not anything I began to imagine amidst my growing belly, baby showers, and nesting a nursery. I was barely into motherhood when I lost you to your lung cancer. All those decades of smoking. You were diagnosed and gone in the length of a summer. Our last summer. At the time I had my toddler, Continue Reading
And What About THOSE Moms??
With Mothers’ Day approaching fast, my heart beats fast for THOSE moms. You know. THOSE moms. The ones who don’t really get a Mother's Day celebration. The ones who never-ever get a mommy break. They don’t even know what that means. The ones who live across the world and hide with their children so as not to be kidnapped, raped, or sold into sex slavery. The ones who live on the Continue Reading
Expressing Motherhood Piece
This past weekend I had the privilege to be a part of the Expressing Motherhood--South Bay Showcase. Created by Lindsay Kavet and Jessica Cribbs in 2008, it's a stage show of writers, sharing or performing their pieces on motherhood. Any take is welcome. You will laugh, cry, be inspired, and be validated or encouraged as you listen to diverse stories that resonate somewhere within us all. I Continue Reading
And What About THOSE Moms?
With Mothers’ Day approaching fast, my heart beats fast for THOSE moms. You know. THOSE moms. The ones who don’t really get a Mother's Day celebration. The ones who never-ever get a mommy break. They don’t even know what that means. The ones who live across the world and hide with their children so as not to be kidnapped, raped, or sold into sex slavery. The ones who live on the Continue Reading
The 11-ish Books I Plan to Read in 2015
1). The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown, Ph.D., L.M.S.W. Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. I am reading this right now and it is digging into me in a good-hard and healing way. I highly recommend this book, especially if you are a (little or a lot of a) perfectionist. Even if you are not, there are powerful lessons about connection, vulnerability, Continue Reading