“Can I say a bad word?” At least he asked permission. “If you really have to, go in the bathroom and yell it into the toilet,” I offered tentatively, still trying to get a handle on this fine art of parenting. “What the hell….” I heard a soft, almost apologetic version of this “bad word.”Continue reading “Sitting on a Phone Book”
Tag Archives: foster parenting
Magnolia
It always seemed like by the time I would notice that the magnolia blossoms had opened, the petals had begun to fade and fall from the tree, leaving a disappointing, slippery mass which seemed to scoff: “You’ve missed it again.” This year, though, our tree held its flowers for much longer than I had everContinue reading “Magnolia”
No Elderberry Tree
“Mom, why are you crying?” His question came from a place of innocence that I feared was about to fade before my eyes, which could no longer contain what I knew. “Because she loves you,” said the nurse softly, gently, poignantly. I knew it would be different this time, for so many reasons. So I’mContinue reading “No Elderberry Tree”
Tie Me to a Tree
The six year old practices every bad word he knows in one long stream, shot directly at my quiet request to put on fresh underwear. Three days seems a little long for the same pair of boxers…even during e-learning. “Home is their haven.” These were words that I shared more than once or twice overContinue reading “Tie Me to a Tree”
The Secret Room
Once, I cried at a baseball game. It was dark, so no one probably even knew. By some sort of twist in the interpretation of a rule…or something…the very reliable little league pitcher for Aaron’s team had to be pulled from the game. Though the details elude me, I remember that much was on theContinue reading “The Secret Room”
A Little Toast to Hope
Yesterday, I was having a good day, which really wouldn’t seem extraordinary except there just haven’t been a whole lot of them lately. A year ago, I had just lost 22 pounds. My hip didn’t hurt anymore, and I was a little closer to keeping up with the boys. All of the big kids wereContinue reading “A Little Toast to Hope”
Strip Me Bare
Last year, they were probably heard screaming through to the second floor of the clinic, and there were fights…battles…battles that they did not win. No one did. A friend shared a link on social media yesterday, and I read every word, as often I do when this particular friend posts things. If she finds somethingContinue reading “Strip Me Bare”
Let Me Be Your Lesson
“Everything is either a blessing or a lesson.” Who was it that said that, anyway? Maybe, some things can be both of those at the same time. Perched on top of the hill at the edge of my grandparents’ property, my brother, my sister, and I spent strings of days looking out onto the St.Continue reading “Let Me Be Your Lesson”
A Chicken Gets Her Wings
Love, young love, I hope you are well. At least we now both Have a story to tell. —Keaton Henson, “Sarah Minor” I should have known by the way she spun in a circle as she moved among the pine shavings, even somersaulting as she crashed into the other chicks. Sometimes, she kept one eyeContinue reading “A Chicken Gets Her Wings”
Eyes
If our eyes are windows to our souls, the other features certainly help with interpretation. The thoughts are higher, bigger, and more pervasive. There are questions in everything. Our world is different. For some, it’s really the only world they know. A quandary in the world of child welfare is the often dumbfounding loyalty fromContinue reading “Eyes”
