As You Love

We celebrated Mother’s Day a few days ago, and for me it was one of the best ones yet.  This is significant, because I have a rocky history with this holiday.   It started with my first Mother’s Day, when we were both new parents and new puppy parents as well. Being responsible dog owners we had our puppy go through obedience training, which was quite suited to her.  We entered her into a dog show, which happened to be scheduled on – you guessed it, Mother’s Day weekend.  Not only did we find ourselves trying to make time for both of our mothers on this important day, but now the dog was getting in on it too. And she totally bombed her show! How’s that for gratitude?

The Bread of Life

I am in a complicated stage of life right now.  I’ve shared often about the isolation I feel in my vocation and the daily living of my life, and while the particular circumstances have changed over the years, the general feeling remains.  I often feel alone, like I don’t really belong, like regular community is hard to achieve in the midst of such a full and busy life (especially when everyone else is just as busy).  Living in the country away from the center of where everything seems to being going on adds a new dimension to this hurt, as I see all around me communities thriving, and feel the pain of being just on the outside.