WRITING

I am 35 now.  Grey hairs abound and all the more with each mornings’ appearance.  I did not drink coffee for the first 31 years of my life.  I know this with a clarity I seldom have because Hazel is 4.  I did not drink coffee until Hazel.  Hazel didn’t sleep for her first 8 months.  I did not sleep in those months either.  We were so happy to have a baby- in the wake of missing Eliot- that we neglected to see her lack of losing consciousness as a problem in any way. I inquired of Ginny  as to…

I don’t know that I do New Year’s resolutions any more, though I think I should and harbor no ill-will toward those who do.  It seems to be in vogue to not do them and so that kind of makes me want to.  Anyway, I think I do more of a wishful theme for the year.  Something to aspire to within the seasons and something that hopefully, after a year’s worth of intentions, is better than it was when I started.  I want to change.  I hope that in years ahead, I don’t even recognize the me that is me…

Dear Uncle Influenza, You are a real S.O.B. (seriously obstinate blowhole).  And this time you have done it. I have tired of the way you only come around the holidays- and not actually on them, but just after we have said goodbye to the rest of our real family and headed home to be alone with just us.  In you come, never knocking; we clearly asked you to never come back the last time you came calling by a new name- something about pigs- but it was just you in a clever disguise of snout and tail. We used to…

Here’s a little update on the lay of the land from Mooney-ville these days.  I don’t pretend that my little life-updates are of much consequence to you.  But one of the objectives for this little narcissistic enterprise known as a blog includes putting down on paper the moments as they pass.  A way to capture what would otherwise escape notice.  And these days so much threatens to escape.  Of course by “put down on paper”, I mean metaphorically as there is actually no paper involved.  But let’s move on. Ginny’s back is doing much better.  She is not near what…

A year ago today we stepped off of a plane holding our daughter and skipping hurriedly through mazes of halls, down an escalator and into the arms of our rascals.  Hazel and Anders had been without their mom and dad for 6 weeks and it almost killed us.  Lena had been in a crib within the walls of an orphanage for four years and having been immersed in that reality had left us staggered as well.  She refused to sleep a wink during our entire travels from Ukraine- over 24 hours in total; just a bit more stimulation in the…

THINGS THAT MATTER MOST:: Last year, I included in our annual list themes and items from the year that did not fit on a normal best of list.  The type of things that were lived and not consumed.  Here’s a grab bag of 2012’s things that mattered most: **I got sidetracked on the ramblings below & ran out of time, so I will have to continue (or not) with the list.  That’s the great thing about blogs….they’re not polished, but neither are most things I come across.** a year of surviving:: I blogged just last week about some of the…

I am a few days late on my yearend review.  And that may be all you need to know about 2012.  Our family of five became a family of six.  Don’t be thrown, I still count my first and why wouldn’t I.  This was a year of letting go. A year’s distance further down the road of saying goodbye to so many things I at one time thought I wanted or needed or needed to want.  I can’t remember much about a recent discussion with a friend, but I remember him throwing this out and it sticking inside my ears…

What do you do to celebrate Jesus’ coming to earth? you dance. Merry Christmas from our family to you.