Tag: family
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Weekend Update
Saturday began with tea while grocery shopping, though my favorite barista wasn’t there and this one made my dirty chai very dirty!! Back home, I watered plants and tried to set up Alexa while my landlord, Slie, and the handyman, Sergio came. Sergio took the whole oven out and replaced the part he’d been waiting…
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Closets, Closets, Closets
MOFY fans will enjoy that title! So, what to say today? I thought I’d mention some interesting house observations. Mine and the few others I’ve seen the interior of. First, closets are not rooms you walk into if you’re lucky enough, or set back into the wall. Instead, they’re freestanding cabinetry. Although it takes up…
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Connection
I woke early this morning and joined Yuri for a hike. The weather was supposed to be rainy, but the day dawned gorgeous! He met me at Moreleta Park, which is only a 10 minute drive from my house. It felt so good to walk through natural areas like I love to do back home.…
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Tuesday’s Tales
Again, some random pieces of information from today… If I die in South Africa, it won’t be from any of the horrible safety report reasons I read about before coming. It will be trying to escape my house if there’s a fire because I can’t get my dang skeleton keys to work! I’m hankering something…
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Animals and More
Today’s post is mostly about animals. I have some answers thanks to my local colleagues. The other day I mentioned my bird app and also that I may or may not have a pteradactyl fly over my house on the regular. I heard that same bird call while the three of us were meeting the…
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Writefully Hers
Not long after my mom passed away, I felt an urge to commit myself to writing and began an almost daily ritual of doing so. I also knew I wanted to share this passion with other women, so one day over lunch at my house, I told my friend Katie about my plan to start…
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How Do I Say Goodbye?
Having my siblings in for the weekend was so significant. After my mom (who gathered us for events big and small) passed, we knew we would have to make the effort to keep getting together and celebrating. None of us worried, but life has a way of getting busy and complicated and demanding and so…
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Beach Boys
Moving to another country for two years is exciting, but it is also hard. It means saying goodbye to good friends and family. It means long distance and long gaps in get togethers. It means time differences and phone logistics. It means being a mom from afar, which I’ve done before, but not because I…
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Ice Cream Truck
Out on a walk the other night,an ice cream truck passed me several times,its upbeat, repetitive music signaling cool refreshmentto the neighborhood kids and kids at heart.I found myself giddy with excitement each round,hoping that children were hearing the sound in their homes,begging their parents for money,and running out to the truck for their favorite…
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56
We’re both 56 this year,Henry and I!We are growing old together,loyal companions to the end.Henry came to mewhen I needed him most.It was after the divorce,after I bought my “sanctuary,”and filled it with intentionality,settling into a new rhythm with my daughters.Coming, going, here, there,a way of living that nearly tore my heart out.I saw them…
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SADurday
Today I am sad.I don’t need to be cheered up.I don’t need to look at the bright side.I don’t need to get busy and distract myself.Today I am sad.And I want to be.My youngest has left,pulled away in her little “Bean” carpacked to the gills with her bags,clothes, new bedding, new pillows,a case of water,…
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Too Many Tabs
“Want to do a May Challenge?” my friend texted me at the end of April. She loves doing plank, push up or dietary challenges and always tries to rope me in for accountability (or because misery loves company, as I often counter!). “Friend,” I responded, “May IS the challenge!!”May was progress checking in the form…
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Mother’s Day
I celebrated Mother’s Day as I always do,so grateful to have a mother and be a mother.It’s been two and half years since I’ve lost mine,but today as I took my evening walk,I smelled her.I inhaled her scent so deeply into my lungs,and said hello.I told her some news and how I was doing,and told…
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Somewhere Right Now
Somewhere, right now, a woman is walking on cushiony clouds, each step bouncy and alive because a first date turned into a second and a third is in the books. Right now, she texts him to say she’ll bring dinner and writes a magazine-worthy description of his choices. “I just don’t feel like a woman…
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The Farm
“It’s smelly! I don’t want to go!” my great nephew exclaimed as he got out of the car. My niece had planned this day at the farm for all of us to gather, and knew her three year old would be delighted as he had been obsessed with farm animals since infancy. My brother and…
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Miami
Perhaps this trip will be my last,to the city of Miami.My daughter’s moving on from there,two years gone by in a flash.I hadn’t thought I’d like it much,the beach is not my scene.I thought it’d have a different vibe,but there’s so much natural green.My flight was smooth and super quick,it was so nice not to…
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Gardens
What is this beautiful thing that’s happening? Where there has always been politeness, Laughter, shared memories, and care.There is something else blooming.Is it symbolic that we met here? Our first sister get together, No kids, no mom, just us.In a place full of blooms and growth?Why do things happen when you stop trying? Maybe because…
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Making Room in January, Part 2
I’ve MADE ROOM in the second half of the month for: 1. writing poetry and exploring new structures without self judgment.2. taking a photo walk. 3. a weekly donation bag.4. bringing the poetic structure to my writing group and enjoying where each woman took the prompt and how they expressed themselves.5. pleasure. 6. a night…
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Sons
I loved having three girls,No secret hopes for a boy,Never wondered what it would be like to have sons,Always so content to have the exact family I did,Happy for their closeness,And the convenience of passing down clothes.I never gave much thought to sons at all,Until now,Until my two daughters chose wonderful men,Kind, thoughtful, bright, hard…
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White Elephant
It was a great weekend,So special and sweet,Spent with my family,In Washington, DC.The best choice I made,Was to ride on the train,I read a whole book,The free time felt insane!Met at the station,By my older brother,We went out to shop,Just like my mother!Gifts for his grandkids,I bought sweet little clothes,Dinosaur stuffies,And socks with rainbows.Then on…
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Bubbe
She shared the news with us tonight,at Writing Class,by sharing a poem she’d written during the week.This sweet friend of mine-a wonderful woman,generous mother,talented baker,loyal friend-will be a grandmother in the spring!Her poem was all about nicknames,from all different stages of life,and then she revealed her latest one -Bubbe -and we all shrieked with joy!Bubbe…
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Santa Claus is Coming to Town
Arriving home a few minutes after six, I was met by road closures and wailing sirens. Inside the house, Henry was racing from room to room, imitating the emergency call with his howl. Either the whole borough was on fire, or more hopefully, Santa Claus had come to town!The frenetic pace of the last few…
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Full House
My heart was happy, This holiday season,A home full of loved ones,Was the primary reason!They came in small groups,And they came one by one,They found spots to sleep,When the day was all done.We played and we ate,And went out on the town,The kids poked and teased,And were clowning around.The young and the old,Came together at…
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One Heart
I think I’ve always thought of usas having two hearts -a literal one and a figurative one.The literal one gives us life,pumping blood throughout our bodies,delivering oxygen and nutrients to our cells,and removing waste;a muscle that needs to be protected,maintained, and strengthened.That heart is literally our life giver.The figurative heart was different, separate;love an abstract…
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Apple Picking with Newlyweds
A few weekends ago, I spent a glorious afternoon,unusually warm for October,apple picking with my daughter and her husband,during their first weekend visit home since the wedding.I marveled at both the novelty and the ordinaryof the newlyweds and their interactions -light banter, playful competition, silly teasing,mixed with snuggles and handholding and kisses.Watching them read the…
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What’s in a Name?
My name – Leigh Anne – a combination of the names of the parents who brought me into this world. Leigh for my father. Well, kind of. He was Levin, Lee for short. Anne for my mother’s middle name, Joanne. A group effort for their last child. A sweet story. Except I hated my name.…
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When I Was a Child, I Behaved Like a Child
My word this year is STORY and I’ve been thinking a lot about what my story is, how I tell it, who I tell it to, when I tell it and why I tell it. Little memories come to me and I think about whether they are ones worth sharing, turning over, finding meaning in. I am…
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The Rhythm of Family
Dark timber beams race up The high ceiling that slants to an apex. Floor to ceiling curtains shut out the darkening sky Behind the wall of windows. The long, deep room is lit by soft lamplight Filled with comfortable seating In a variety of sizes and shapes. Dad settles into his chair Whiskey sour on…
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6 Word Stories of Baby Bliss
My nephew is expecting his first! We gathered together to celebrate Baby! My sister hosted our whole family. We showered him and his wife. This is my brother’s second grandchild. It is Mom’s second great grandchild. She found out before she passed. She was so excited for Baby. The gift I gave was meaningful. It…
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Waiting to Exhale
Holding my breath. That’s what it’s felt like these three long weeks since my mom passed. We’d waited to hold the memorial service to coincide with her family’s scheduled visit. It made perfect sense. It would give us plenty of time to prepare. It was a sound choice. Did I recognize I was holding my…
The Journey Inward 