Category Archives: blessings

blessings, Family matters

Seventeen

The past 17 years have gone by so quickly. Yesterday you were a newborn gripping my finger with your whole hand, and yesterday you were taking your first steps in our empty rooms on as we packed up to leave Missouri, and yesterday you were trying your first solid food and watching “Ferris Bueller” for the fiftieth time and singing along to “Jelly Man Kelly” and getting your black belt and making me laugh and cry with your acting and heading off to public school for the first time. And today you are 17, and soon it will be tomorrow, and before I can blink twice it’ll be next year and you’ll be off to college.

And Poppy, I am so, so proud of you. 

It has been and always will be one of the greatest privileges of my life to be your mom. What a gift you are to me.

You are everything I hoped you’d be from the first moment I looked into your wide blue eyes. You are kind. You have a tender heart. You love ferociously. You are responsible and trustworthy. You are smart, and you are wise, and you are persistent.

Now the whole world is waiting for you, my sweet potato. I can’t wait to see what you make of it.

I love you forever, kiddo.

blessings, Family matters

A letter for Poppy on her 15th birthday

Dear Poppy,

Today you are 15.

“No I’m not,” you would tell me, if I were saying this instead of writing it. “Not yet. I wasn’t born until 3:30.”

But your birthday’s your birthday, kid, and you can’t argue with me on my internet website. Over here it’s 24 hours of celebrating Poppy. As if there were enough hours in the day to celebrate you.

That’s the kind of person you are, though. You like things to be orderly and predictable and on schedule. I think that’s one of the reasons you did so well in school last year — your freshman year of high school, and your first year in public school. I was really worried about you going into that ginormous school and only knowing one or two people, but you absolutely owned it. Made a bunch of friends and got great grades. I was so proud of you.

You grew up a lot this year. You’ve been taller than me for a while now, sure, but I can also see hints of you growing into a bona fide adult. You’re taking on more responsibilities and taking ownership of the things your dad and I ask you to do and sometimes even doing chores before you’re asked. You’re navigating new friendships and old friendships and job challenges and on top of that a whole global pandemic and all of the changes that have come with that, and you’re doing it all with bravery and grace. This year has been very, very tough, and you’ve been a wonderful partner in our family as we’ve weathered it. I’ve been so proud of you.

You are so strong. And you’re funny. And talented. You’re a great friend and a wonderful daughter, and I am so, so proud of you.

You are 15, and I love you today even more than I did 15 years ago. And that was as much as I ever thought I could’ve loved anyone. Being your mother has been such a joy and privilege, and I can’t wait to continue to watch you grow. Did I mention I’m proud of you?

Love,
Mama

blessings, Family matters

Consistently inconsistent

For a minute there I thought I would be posting something here every day. Oh well.

Today was OK, all things considered.

Poppy had to watch a little bit of the Franco Zeffirelli “Romeo and Juliet” from 1968. She says Romeo looks like “an off-brand Zach Efron.” She asked for my help paraphrasing Romeo’s description of Juliet (“she doth teach the torches to burn bright! It seems she hangs upon the cheek of night.”) for her assignment, and I regret to inform you that she did not go with “Like OMG, she is so hot I literally cannot even.”

Pete wasn’t assigned to talk to his teacher during his virtual office hours, but he decided to check in anyway. They chatted for awhile, and Pete showed off his LEGO creations.

After Poppy finished her assignments, we went for a drive to do a few errands. I had to go into the post office, where I encountered the largest congregated group of people I’ve seen in more than a week. There were about five people in there, and it made me pretty uncomfortable. I was glad Poppy stayed in the car. The other errand was a stop by our local bookstore to pick up my pre-ordered copies of NK Jemisin’s new book, “The City We Became,” and Emily St. John Mandel’s new book, “The Glass Hotel.” That did involve speaking to a human, but she just opened the door and handed the books to me. Very limited interaction.

We had Breakfast For Dinner tonight. It sounds like it should be a quick and easy meal, but it always turns into a production here because of our varied dietary issues. Tonight Rockford made pancakes for the kids, bacon for everyone and Malt-O-Meal for himself and I made terrible hashbrowns for myself and scrambled eggs for my in-laws. Far too many dirty dishes.

I took a nap this afternoon in hopes that it would chase of the headache I’ve had on and off all day, but it did not. Of course, every time I have any sort of ache or pain or sneeze now I assume it’s The Virus. Even though I know I have allergies and I always have a headache this time of the month and my legs hurt because I’ve been doing Pete’s PE class with him.

Good Things

  • Playing euchre with my dad online
  • Watching “The Good Place”