There are countless women–and men–who struggle around Mother’s Day, in different ways. What’s on YOUR Mother’s Day heart, Neighbor?
A Mother’s Day Tragedy and a Birth-Death Day Celebration
Dear Neighbor, Twenty-eight years ago, a miracle happened when a child was born. When you think about everything that must occur prior to any birth, the precise nature of so many scientific details, every delivery is miraculous. When I began writing this post, I realized that twenty-eight years ago, at the exact same hour, I was timing and logging contractions … Read More
Ask Annah: How Can I Possibly Love Another as Much as I did My First?
Dearest Neighbor, A question of the ages, spoken by nearly every human that ever walked this earth. Though the query has been asked in countless ways, they all boil down to one ultimate question: “How do we quantify love?” “How can I possibly love another as much as I did my first?” Parents ponder this when thinking about or expecting … Read More
Ask Annah: How Do You Inspire Your Children to Do Their Chores?
“Encourage and support your kids because children are apt to live up to what you believe of them.” ~ Lady Bird Johnson, Former First Lady Like yours, our family always had something happening. School and school functions to meet those academic, social, and physical facet needs. Recreational sports and leisure activities to nurture those physical, social, spiritual, and emotional needs. … Read More
Ask Annah: Why Do Friendships Change After a Significant Loss?
“Friendships are discovered rather than made.” ~ Harriett Beecher Stowe Dear Journeyer, “Why do friendships change after a significant loss?” is a question and conversation I hear regularly from people of all ages and across all loss forms. If you have discovered that your relationships with friends or family feel strange or estranged since a Significant Life Loss Event entered … Read More
Ask Annah: Why I Stayed Married after My Husband’s Two Affairs
Dear Journeyer, Many people enter a state of disbelief when they learn that I am still married to the man who had two affairs following our wedding vows. And while some just can’t seem to wrap their brains around it, others have appeared flustered or fustrated, while one person wrote a scathing comment that basically described me as the reason … Read More
The Reason Grief Feels Eternal
Even though it’s been twenty-seven years since my firstborn’s arrival into this world, I remember how eternal those weeks following his birth were. Like many moms do, I swayed in the rocker at the foot of the crib we’d so lovingly adorned the nursery with. I twisted the dial on the bed chamber’s musical mobile and awaited its soothing melodies. I … Read More
What Kind of Mother Has No Child 2017
Dear Journeyer, On May 8, 2015, I wrote this letter to you. I’m re-sharing it now, with a few time-related updates, because I feel it bears repeating again and again, year after year, until it has reached every single mother who has ever experienced the physical death of a child or the death of her Motherhood dream. Please share it with every … Read More
Homemade Happiness
Happy Sunday, Journeyer!! There are three times in the last seven years that I have missed a Happy Happens column. Seven years, Journeyer! The motto has always been “Just like the proverbial shit happens, happy happens.™” This column has been an exercise in making me notice, appreciate, and honor those fleeting moments that collectively are my happiness, even in the … Read More
The 5 by 5 Formula, a 5 Facets Happiness Rule
“The 5 x 5 Rule: If it’s not gonna matter in 5 years, don’t spend more than 5 minutes being upset by it.” ~ Author Unknown Happy Sunday, Journeyer! I’m having a hard time trying to tell you how my week went… Seldom am I at a loss for words and after numerous starts and re-starts, nothing feels right… But … Read More