Hello friends.

Guess what?  I AM alive and ready to engage again.

Thanks for checking back in.

I’ve been gone a while.

This past year has been a bit of a whirlwind.

Why?

Hmmm… where to begin.

First – parenting upperclassmen level teens.  Not for the faint-hearted as we moms like to say.

Second – shifting gears from thinking we’d send our oldest to college TO sending our oldest by his request into the Marines.    No matter the discomfort with change, no matter the grief in goodbye, no matter the abrupt change in parenting status (he is no longer ours but the government’s), no matter the longing for him to be closer and more accessible… as they say in the Mandalorian:  this is the way.  Specifically, this is our son’s way.  The path marked out for him.  There is no doubt about it.  It wrecked me.  And it’s good and right.

Third – watching the world beat up our kids in different, wounding, heartless ways.  Lots of middle of the night praying and wrestling.  NEED wisdom!  NEED patience!  NEED help!  NEED affirmation and reminding that GREATER is HE who is in me (and in THEM) than that doomed schmuck feverishly trying to take as many souls with him as possible and never will be satisfied anyway.  The deceiver will always try to make it look like he is winning, but he is already defeated.  I must live and believe and pray according to this conviction and trust.

There’s a whole host of details that go along with all that I’ve experienced this past year.  Hard.  Good.  Tears to the point of nausea.  Laughter cramping my belly. Big breaths.  Listening ears.  Hugs.  Support.  Space.  Reconnecting.  Connecting deeper.  All the things.

Hang with me if you will.

More to come.