“being a mother gave me a better sense of what life is.”
-ruth bader ginsburg
—
image credit: google images (vintage)
as the youngest of 3 daughters
it took me a while to realize
that i was often being used
as the canary in the coal mine
sent in first to check
if the mud was sticky
if the place was scary
if it was wet
if there were spiders or alligators
if the others could squeeze in somewhere
if we were going to get in trouble
for whatever crazy scheme we thought up that day
i was curious and relished the adventure
excited to try things first
only to realize time and again
that it generally
had not
been a good idea in the first place.
whoever thinks they can fool me 267 times or so
has got another thing coming….
—
“a younger sister is someone to use as a guinea pig in trying sledges and experimental go-carts. someone to send on messages to mum. but someone who needs you – who comes to you with bumped heads, grazed knees, tales of persecution. someone who trusts you to defend her. someone who thinks you know the answers to almost everything.
~ pam brown
—
image credit: lets feast.feast-ed.org
apparently i have a bit of a reputation for opening my gifts early.
how bad is it when my sister thinks
i may get overexcited
and try to intercept a delivery at the post office?
i’m not worried, she’ll never know…
p.s. if she happens to be reading this,
i’d just like to say for the record
that it was already a little bit open when i found it.
i am curious about who bought this plate.
a parent as a gift to a child?
a child as a gift to him/her self?
a spouse?
a sibling?
or….?
interesting message whatever the backstory.
—
“i am often asked which picture is my favorite.
this is like asking a mother
which child she likes the most.”
-phillipe halsman
what a totally unexpected and much appreciated kindness:
a sympathy card in the mail
signed by every person in my vet’s office
after helping my pet to pass on peacefully
on my last trip there.
—
“the whole idea of compassion is based on a keen awareness
of the interdependence of all these living beings,
which are all part of one another, and all involved in one another.”
-thomas merton
my daughter was given a small box
filled with items
from her great grandfather/great grandmother
on her father’s side.
it contained such an interesting mix
with no one to explain
the meaning
the importance
the story
of the items inside.
some of them were:
a pocket knife,
a key to a city in louisiana,
one heart-shaped earring,
and a piece of paper with
‘hamlet, act 1, scene 3’
handwritten on it.
i wish we knew the story of
why each was significant in their lives.
why was each item worth saving in a special box?
—
‘we all belong to an ancient identity.
stories are the rivers that take us there.’
-frank delaney