Family Encourager

August is my baby girl's birthday month. She has always been a feisty determined little girl. With each passing year, she has become more focused and less scattered. She is still feisty (may that never change) and she knows what she wants. From day one that she magically appeared in our life (isn't every child's birth magical?).I knew that she would bring some star dust to our home. She has the capacity to make any situation more entertaining and add a touch of her own personality to almost anything. She has a beautiful heart and a wise old soul. I am amazed at how this little girl understands the subtlety's of human emotions. She feels others loneliness, she understands pain, she grasps feelings, she can read people way better then I ever did, at even a much older age. We watch animated movies, she cries intensely, even in the happy scenes. In the Grinch that Stole Christmas she could not stop crying, she acknowledged the Grinch rejection and exclusion. In T...

Every blog I write comes from an experience, a moment, a thought, an incident, and event in my life. As I sat down to write my June blog, I thought I am going to write about what is going on in my life right now.  Then I thought, that is great, but why only talk about  my life, why not look at the bigger picture?  I went down the path, of how does this subject reflect on all parenting in today's world? How are we all changed by technology and how that has affected a whole generation?  Here I go! Again, this is personal viewpoint and reflection. Disclaimer: all opinions stated here are my own and all introspection is solely from my psyche.  My eldest child, my son, is on a school expedition in Africa. It is a two week trip, based around service to the community and a trek that is to be independently organized by the team of students themselves.  They need to plan and execute their mission as a team. Working towards achieving a unified goal bas...

Last night I watched a tribute band to George Michael. As I sat there listening, I realized that many of the songs are over 30 years old! 30!! How did that happen?  Let me set the scene for you, the venue was a gorgeous opera house packed to the rafters, the seats nearly all full, the audience a huge percentage of women ranging from 45 to 55 and beyond! On stage is a 5 piece band, and a singer that is George Michael's twin, in appearance and voice. All the old favorites were included, I could not believe how I remembered the lyrics! I sang along, and I even stood up and danced, and so did the rest of the audience! A heartfelt thank you was said, to the singer that gave us all this beautiful music. Last night, made me think what music means to me. Why was I feeling all kinds of emotions? What did these songs bring to my life? How did music shape who I am today? Does music actually play a bigger role in our lives, then we give it credit? I had a myriad of emotions wa...

We all are born and given our name by our parents. If we are lucky. Unless we are abandoned and named by our caretakers. Generally speaking, the people that love us the most in the universe, give us a moniker.  A majority of parents, have an inkling to what the new baby's name should be. A few, wait to see the baby, before making a final decision. Even less then those, will have a disagreement and the baby will remain "the baby" for a while.  In my culture, a boy may be named after his paternal grandfather and a girl may be named after her paternal grandmother. Thankfully, this custom is slowly dying off. My mother's generation had to put up with a child's name not of their choosing. As my mother tells it, she cried for several weeks after my brother was born and refused to call him by the name chosen for him by tradition.  In my marriage to be fair and accommodating, we agreed that my husband will name the first child and me the second. It took 8 ...

Mid life, middle age, the wrong side of forty, the in-between of youth and old age, over the hill, call it what you will, all sound gloomy and downtrodden. It sounds like the beginning of the end! This is the time in our life, were our off spring spring off (see what I did there), our careers if we have any seem unfulfilling, our marriages can be boring and tedious, our daily life a monotone colorless existence. I refuse to subsist like that! I am not sure how you feel about your age today! Blooming, flourishing, blossoming, improving, thriving, is how I would rather think of myself with the passing of time. Perspective is what it is all about. What you lose with youth, you gain with age. I know myself better, my values are clear, my beliefs are solid, my likes and dislikes obvious, my relationships real, my priorities set, and outside noise quietened. Life becomes a path of finding contentment were possible, minimize stress, survive sad times, push through hard moments, an...

Usually, January is a let down. The coldest month of the year in certain places, dark and miserable days, the festive season is over with all its merriment. I do not know many people that actually enjoy this month. I do! It is the month, that 17 years ago, I became a mother. It is by far one of my favorite months. It is the month, that one of my most beloved human beings was born. He brought me, immense joy at becoming a mother. But much more then that, he is just fun to be around. He makes me laugh, he makes me think, he reminds me of what is great about this world.  Being his mother has been easy and joyous. I have not ever felt the need to send him away or to run away. I have heard of various challenges to being a mother, with behavioral issues and tantrums in toddlers and teens. We have not faced it with our son, on either end. We have been blessed to have "the perfect baby", soon to be full fledged adult. That makes what comes next, totally heart wrenching. Th...

Good Bye 2018, we wish you adieu.  You have been a friend, a foe, a comfort, a joy, a pain, a fear, a stab in the dark, a stab in the back, a crutch, a delight, a forever after, a good bye, a dream, a nightmare, a lesson learned, a hope for the future, a bet, a wish, a survival, a journey. The end of a year, is for most, a time to say farewell to the old and accept the new. Parties abound and midnight is rung down, like there won't be another midnight in 24 hours again. We don party hats and blow on noise makers and welcome a new year with promise. We make resolutions, and promises to ourselves and others. We have hope in our hearts and strength of will to change or accept. We hold ourselves accountable to fulfill shelved dreams and vows made. We welcome a new year, as a way to turn the page and forge a fresh chapter. We look forward, always forward! This year, I intend to look back. I intend to reflect and question the year that was. I plan to dissect...