June 28, 2010
June 28, 2010
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Picking Along Memory Lane

Understated strains of jazz emanated from the softly lit interior as Craig and I were shown to our booth at The Melting Pot in downtown Ann Arbor.  It was so romantic, it made me forget about the quarter-mile I’d just hiked to the restaurant.  In high heels. After two glasses of white wine. We had just come from an AnnArbor.com Top-of-the-Park contributor party, and so we had decided to savor a little more “together time” before heading home to relieve the baby sitter.  And since both of us had indulged at the party, we hoofed it to the restaurant. I sank into the cushioned booth, grateful to be […]
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May 30, 2010
May 30, 2010
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“A Time to Remember, A Time to Forget”

Five years today. That’s how long we’ve been a family. Time to mix up a batch of my pasta salad and hit the beach! (In our case, it will be Lake Michigan — we spent the weekend at Craig’s parents’ cabin in East Jordan.) Looking back over pictures from the first months together, I realize just how much the kids have grown. The “baby” has lost her chubby knees; our son bears only the slightest resemblance to the wild-eyed child who used to camp out under tables. They are taller, yes — but they are also more confident of their place in this world. The […]
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May 25, 2010
May 25, 2010
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“Handle with Care” — The Language of Loss and Family

This week I’m savoring Jodi Picoult’s latest novel about an autistic teenager, “House Rules.” I’m looking forward to reviewing that one in an upcoming post; in the meantime, I wanted to re-post my review of “Handle with Care,” which I recently ran on CatholicExchange, as my readers have had trouble accessing the link. (Warning: Review contains some spoilers.) In her most recent novel, Handle with Care, Jodi Picoult explores the intimate sufferings of family life, and brings into sharp focus the unique challenges of parenting a special-needs child. It also engages the reader with questions both timely and perennial: “Is all life worth living –and […]
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May 14, 2010
May 14, 2010
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Weekend Ponderings: “How Firm a Foundation”

Last weekend I drove to Atlanta to visit my parents for Mother’s Day — my husband’s gift to me was three days of precious time, so I could see for myself just how my parents are doing. Part of my Mother’s Day gift to my Mom was to go to church with her and Dad. Normally we have the kids with us, and we go to Mass at the little Catholic church across the field from where my parents go. This practice does not thrill my parents, who say they cannot understand why going to a Catholic parish with the kids is so important. The […]
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May 2, 2010
May 2, 2010
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“Why do babies die, Mom?”

My kids tend to zone in on the morbid. It’s wired into them, somehow … and it can pop into a conversation out of nowhere. I’m just saying. Driving past an ambulance, the question comes from the back seat: “Why do babies die, Mom?” That’s a good question. One that isn’t easy to explain even to another adult. But after a few days of thinking about it, I’m not sure I’ll ever come up with a better response than the one I gave off the cuff. “Honey, each time God sends a child into the world, that baby takes three things with him (or her). […]
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May 1, 2010
May 1, 2010
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Milestones: Sarah’s First Communion!

Today is Sarah’s First Communion. I look at her, grinning up at me with that impish grin and chocolate brown eyes, and wonder where the time has gone. Five years ago — give or take a week or two — we finalized the adoption of our two children. We had them baptized, welcoming them into God’s family as well as our own. Sarah has been talking about this day for months. The day she gets to wear the beautiful white dress I picked up for the little girl who would one day be my daughter, even before I knew her name. She gets to wear the […]
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April 28, 2010
April 28, 2010
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Wee Read Wednesday: “Longing to Love” by Tim Muldoon

Recently released by Loyola Press, “Longing to Love” is a poignant reminder of the many pathways of love in the human heart. Muldoon’s memoir was a touching story of his family’s journey to adoption (they adopted two little girls from China), which brought to mind one of my other favorite books, Sheldon Vanauken’s A Severe Mercy. (Both authors attended Oxford, and both stories involve the blossoming relationships of couples who love each other deeply, yet are unable to have children.) As they contemplated becoming parents, Muldoon recounts the qualms he experienced — feelings common to many prospective adoptive parents, though they are usually felt more […]
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April 26, 2010
April 26, 2010
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“Are You Raising a Narcissist?” Favorite Post at Scribbit

Michelle at Scribbit posted this thought-provoking article that I wanted to share here. Head on over and check it out! I confess I went ahead and took the “Narcissist” test. To my relief, I fell in the “normal” range, though my “authority” score seemed a tad high for my own good. Hmmm … Made me wonder why I so often have difficulty getting my kids to follow where I’m leading! Ah, the dilemmas of parenthood.
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