It strikes me that not a single one of my heroes wears a cape. In fact, every one of them looks like an ordinary person living an ordinary life. Many of these people who are so dear to my heart are the very people who immediately respond when the proverbial shit hits the fan. They are the ones who say, "I will protect you, with my life if necessary." They are the ones who run into danger, while encouraging everyone else to run away and do not hesitate to take extreme risks to back up that claim.

My heart is with all of those who still mourn the events of 9/11, which changed the world as we know it forever. There is, however, a soft spot for all of the first responders here and around the world who put themselves in harm's way all the time to ensure the safety and well-being of others. Police officers, firefighters, Search & Rescue, doctors, nurses, EMT's, ambulance drivers, and others who rush in to help others, I pray for you and your families nightly, whether we've met or not. And most of all, I thank you for all you do every day. You represent the best that the human race has to offer.



I came across the video below while searching for the "right" sentiments to share on this monumental day. It wasn't what I expected. Really, it wasn't even what I was looking for, but I couldn't stop watching. I couldn't dismiss it. I found it poignant, thought-provoking, and knew I had to share it. Whether you respond or not, I hope it will at least stay with you.







Wishing you a safe, joyous weekend.
...and never forget.

Always,
A.

The clouds turned dark, thunder shaking the deck. They had looked threatening all day, the local weatherman finally calling the forecast correctly (...he's about 1 out of every 10, so far). Of all the things I love about spring and summer, a good storm is at the top of my list. That is the one thing I'll miss the most when autumn digs her heels in. She appeases my ache by providing me with crazy bursts of colour from our North Carolina mountains (where the fall foliage is spectacular) to the coast, and the crisp nights are pure Heaven after sticky, sweltering summer heat. As I sat listening to the approaching storm, I wanted comfort food for dinner to go with the soothing sounds I won't hear again for awhile (there goes my menu, AGAIN).

I happily assembled a mac n' cheese recipe in my Crock Pot that I'll serve with steamed broccoli, alongside hot biscuits with butter and honey. That task complete, I returned to the deck so I wouldn't miss Mother Nature's spectacular show. I think part of my love affair with storms has to do with finally conquering my blinding fear of them. They represent the awesome power that's inside of me, inside us all, if we learn to channel it properly. So, tonight my family will come home to yet another meal that strayed from the menu, which they're very used to by now and at bedtime, we'll leave the front blinds open to watch whatever is left of the lightning as it slips away. And tomorrow, there will be leftover mac n' cheese for lunch! I'd call that a damn fine day!

The morning fog clung in valleys and trees, holding her position as long as possible before the sun would rise high enough to chase her away. My thoughts from the previous days could relate, clinging on moments longer...until I had to banish them in order to concentrate on the tasks ahead of me. It wasn't easy. They didn't want to be replaced by the mundane process of ordinary things. I didn't care. I needed them to be still and one way or another that was going to happen.

During the work week, I am not a fan of getting up before the sun, but oh how I relish that country drive at sunrise from my house to my job. Honestly, I'd feel cheated if I spent my morning sleeping because the drive down those rural country roads at first light is exquisite. Someone should be up to admire the splendor of such haunting beauty. To do otherwise would be shameful. My concerns feel blasphemous, so I decisively shut them out and just take it all in.

I don't know why such simple things in nature bring me bone-deep peace, but they always do. I might go completely bonkers without this readily available respite. As the sky bursts into the soft yet wild colours of sunrise, I truly understand the gift of being alive just to bare witness to it. Perhaps if I keep those worries on hold long enough, they'll dissipate like that morning fog and leave my mind as clear as a Carolina bleu Indian summer sky. One can hope, anyway.

Labor Day is supposed to be a celebration of our "workforce", with a sidebar end-of-summer party. I can't stop coming back to other kinds of investments that are labor intensive, however, like the ones we make in our children's education (...which typically coincides with this holiday weekend) and the ones we make in those we care about. It's difficult to deny that committed, long-term relationships are laborious! But, oh how sweet the fruits of said work can be, if we invest in the "right" people. Don't get me wrong, I'm not diminishing the fact that having a good job to support yourself is cause for celebration, I'm merely saying that other types of work are equally important.

This Labor Day, I want to spend giving thanks to a man who is an exceptional father, unafraid to tackle the "dirty work" of parenting, and a man who thinks I'm worth investing in every single day. His love and patience heal me, his easy going nature is the perfect balance to my "Type A crazy", and his refusal to give up on me makes me feel cherished and safe. I know I'm a lot of work, so I will spend my time this weekend showing my utter appreciation to my favorite provider, friend, and Mate. 

Wishing you a weekend full of love and play!

Always,
A.

There comes a time in every parent's life when they realize they no longer dictate their child's path. Instead, they are relegated to that child's category of "support staff". I'm really having a hard time in this new advisory role. Before now, my husband and I were responsible for making our girls "do right", i.e. brush your teeth, do your homework, keep up your grades, take out the trash, clean your room, etc. I understood my place and how to do my parenting "job". I'd like to think I was relatively good at it and more, but what does that even mean? Is there, like, a one-size-fits-all baseline standard with the rest just situational? If there was a manual, I missed it because half the time I just made it up as I went along, doing what I thought was right and hoping for the best. I also prayed...a lot! Now that my girls are newly independent young women, I can't find my internal mama switch to change the gears from authoritative to advisory. At the heart of my little rebel self, I KNOW that letting them make their own choices, travel their own path is good for them, necessary even. But bossy, ferocious mama is hard to shut UP.

Fortunately, my husband is a very patient man when it comes to all of his girls. He has to be to live with us! Is there a "saint" ballot box somewhere I can nominate him for, because trust me when I say being patient with us is no easy task! And somewhere from her perch in Heaven, Mama Schaefer is giggling her butt off at my dilemma, having endured many years of what has just now begun for me. Most of us want what's "best" for our kids, and in our arrogance often believe we know exactly what that is. The bottom line, however, is that the only journey we are 100% responsible for is our own. Each of us, for better or worse, must make our own way in this world. We can choose to take the advice of parents or others...live by examples we find admirable, or not.

I'm working on letting my girls "go" be the women they choose to be. It's HaRD and I'm not very good at it. I only hope they will be patient with me when I fail miserably and bossy mama rears her ferocious head. I also hope they realize that instinctive nature of mine comes from a place of deep love, as well as a firm belief that they can do anything they put their minds to! Maybe In the meantime, maybe I'll Google repair men to help fix my "Off-Switch".

Today my students and I read a book about ants. I know, fascinating stuff, right? Well, the exciting part is watching the world come vividly alive through the eyes of a child. Let me tell ya, seven-year-olds have a lot so say about our little arthropod pals. I was regaled with stories about squishing ants, eating them, and watching them do things like crawl up your arm or swarm mom's forgotten Pepsi can. The children were also eager to draw me pictures of ants doing their thing. It was delightful! One child drew a picture of his foot coming down on top of a wayward little critter, telling me how much he hated them because they crawl on EVERYTHING! When we read about soldier ants who guard the nest, he quipped, "I'm bigger than you, buddy. Squish, Squish!"

I love being a reading teacher, not only because reading is one of my passions, but also because the children help me look at the world through a lens my adult eyes had forgotten. Being an adult, it doesn't take long to lose that perspective, the world taking on a layer of seriousness that squishes our "innocence" as quickly as my student and his ant encounters. Losing that is a tragedy. With the children, I gain a little of it back. It makes me a better person, gives me a much more in-tune perspective about what really matters in life. And the bonus? The children make me feel young again, no matter how old I am by the numbers. That gift...priceless!

Today I read an article from The Washington Post about the mother of Alison Parker, a young reporter for a South Carolina TV station who was gunned down along with her camera man Adam Ward during a live morning show segment they were doing. Alison's mother states that she will "make her life's work trying to implement effective and reasonable safeguards against this happening again." What I keep asking myself is why all of the adults around the world aren't doing the same to make the world a better place for our future generations. How bad do things have to get before our "adult responsibility" kicks in and we put an end to anything, everything that does not benefit our world, grow our future? I mean, come ON...who is driving this crazy train?

I have read and listened to many excuses for why things are the way they are (...and by that I mean the litany of news you see here and around the world on a daily basis that is NOT good). I've got to say, this whole mentality of "it is what it is" makes me want to kick the shit out of something! What a cop-out! I realize that state, federal, and global issues are often complicated. Not. The. Point! We, as a species, built the Hadron Collider, the Great Wall of China, put people on the Moon, and have sent probes into deep space, for cryin' out loud! These are complicated things and we did them anyway! You will never convince me that it's just too complicated for us to figure out how to all get along...too complicated for us to STOP polluting our planet...too complicated to just celebrate our differences instead of belittling (or worse) one another for them!

And what am "I" doing, per my role in leaving things better than when I found them? Teaching children (987 at last count) about the world around them and their responsibility to it and each other. Using my voice in as many ways as possible to do "good" things...picking up trash when I see it and it's possible, to leave Nature the way I found her (or better). Think of the world we could live in if the grown-ups around it all worked as ONE to improve it! Why aren't we doing that? "It is what it is"...my ass. It is what we make it and so far, all we've made is a big MESS. I believe we can do better, much better. I believe the children of the world deserve our VERY best. Don't you?