Creating in this garden of life
Ruth Witte In our day to day whizzing about, our feet hit the floor running. Work; kids; relationships; meal planning, shopping, and preparation; laundry; cleaning; errands; ferrying people about; making and keeping appointments; volunteering; providing a shoulder to cry on… We give and give and give, sooner or later to have nothing left to sustain ourselves, … Read more
As summer approaches we start fantasizing about hitting the road, but the reality of traveling with little kids brings our revelry to a screeching halt. So many of us are intimidated by the idea of making a long trip with very young children; but doing so is not only great fun, it lays the groundwork … Read more
Year by year the complexities of this world grow more bewildering. We need all the more to seek peace and comfort in the joyful simplicities, and to teach our children to do the same. For in so doing, we enable them to seek contentment within themselves rather than relying on electronic devices for their entertainment. … Read more
We write to communicate, make lists, leave messages, write thank-yous, correspond with family and friends, share recipes, arrange for events, leave reminders, fill out applications, pay bills, make labels, give directions, make complaints, take minutes… The list goes on and on. Then there are those of us who write because we have to. We have … Read more
Often, we develop our manner of raising children by way of the example set by our own parents, whether that be to mimic their style, decide to take a different approach altogether, or something in between. In identifying our personal and family values, and how these came to be shaped by our ancestry and upbringing, … Read more
As the children play about the neighborhood, I drink in the glory of autumn as though I am seeing it through their eyes. The day is fairly bursting with joy! The wind kicks up, tugging and coaxing the leaves to take the plunge from their perch above, and they skitter down the street blanketing the … Read more
Twenty-five years ago I stood on the rocky coast of Maine, lost in the rhythm of waves crashing along the shoreline and contemplating the imminent birth of my first child.I could not have imagined that this day would arrive in the blink of a cosmic eye. My pregnancy had been filled with thrilling, scary, idealistic … Read more
I stumble through my days in a perpetual state of discombobulation and oblivion, sifting through my thoughts for my current intention, wading through chaos for the object I seek. I long for clarity. Repeatedly, it occurs to me that my mind is a reflection of the clutter that smothers me at home and at … Read more
Bedrest. Weeks of confinement and being sequestered in my bedroom with admonitions to stay put, the only exception being to use the bathroom. It is a mixed blessing really- an opportunity to send long handwritten letters to everyone in my address book. It is a chance to read and sleep, be waited upon, and to … Read more
I was so delighted the first two times I was expecting. When Henry was almost two, I had thought, “Okay. I’ve done this. I know what I’m doing. I can do it again.” Boy, was I ever caught completely off guard! Two kids take every bit of energy and attention, constant vigilance, draining all reservoirs … Read more