Turning of the Page

Sunday, April 25, 2021

The Questioning Begins

Our daughter asked me today if she grew in my belly. She has been ours since she was four months old and it became official when she was two and a half years old. She is five and a half years old now.
She has asked about how she came to be ours before, but she would always say something about being in my belly and didn't ask whose belly she was in. This time when I told her she grew in my heart and that I have loved her from the first time I held her in my arms she asked "whose belly did I grow in?" And "didn't they want a baby?" 
We knew a day would come when she would have questions. We were not expecting it to be so soon. 

Wednesday, July 24, 2019

The Absence of Life

Darkness wraps a blanket around the mourning. There is a flood overflowing the barriers as the storm of emotions builds. The squalls rise. Howling and screaming fill the days and nighs; no difference between the two exists. The eye of the storm offers small reprieve from the chaos that gathers strength with each passing thought swirling through the minds eye.
Truth is the storm never subsides completely. The eye grows, giving a semblance of peace. Yet, the chaos lingers at a distance, only wreaking havoc during special occasions and intense memories and other random moments throughout life.




Sunday, January 1, 2017

Fostering Feelings

It has been over a year since we took in our first foster child. She was just over four months old when our home became her home. It has been an adventure full of ups and downs, an emotional rollercoaster, and an experience worth having.
Our whole family has taken a liking to her. She is one of the Reeds now. We have shared two Christmas' and two New Year's, a birthday, a family reunion, and so much more.
Her first crawl, first sitting up, first food, first steps, and first words to name a few. We've had long nights full of tossing and turning and crying. We've had smiles and belly laughs. She has tested my patients by getting into things, repeating actions she has been told "not a choice" and removed from, and she has thrown some temper tantrums that involve banging her head and shrill screams and kicking. There are so many moments we have shared.
In June we had our second foster child join us. This little girl is a year and a day older than our first. She is a relative and so there are more complications that come with that. It puts me in a position that is not always easy and difficult for other family members to understand. I don't make the rules, but I do abide by them for her safety and well-being.
There have been so many changes that have taken place and so many changes on the verge of taking place that sometimes the moments are too much and I find myself lost in a sea of thoughts unable to see the shoreline. The year ended with me feeling lost at sea with a storm brewing, cracking of lightning, roaring of thunder, and waves of emotion crashing over me and flooding my vessel. I have not capsized. I will persevere. I have an able crew of friends and family that are on board with me and willing to help in any way they can and for that I am most grateful.

Tuesday, May 14, 2013

At the Year...Waiting for the Day

More ups than down
    Climbing one foot hold
                   one hand hold
                            at a time
There has been no bag of tricks
                instead
                           a box of tools
This time there was forethought
       This time there were plans for survival
                                       plans for achieving
                                       an overwhelming desire
                                            to continue on this journey
Together setting anchors
                attaching lines
                    creating support
      keeping a vigilant eye out for problem spots
                   maneuvering around and up and over dangers
This is our journey
   we are together
        hand in hand
           heart for heart
                 making our way
         to our year and a day

Saturday, March 16, 2013

I Think...I Believe...I Know

I think:
words hold meaning
words give hope
words make a difference
words cause a forced perspective
words provide clarity

I believe:
every person you care for should hear you tell them how you feel (don't assume they realize the depths of        
                                                                  your feelings for them or how their existence impacts your life)
every emotion you bury inside only helps to dig you a deeper emotional grave

every moment should be used to show and to tell those around you how you really feel
every day is a day to live life the way you want to live it

every time you let a moment pass by without truly living your own life is a time that can not be lived

I know:
the past cannot be changed
the present lays the foundation for the future
the future is what you make it by being present in the present

hold...give...make...cause...provide
person...emotion...moment...day...time
past...present...future

Conclusion:
Living life in the present, acknowledging the now and all the emotions and events being experienced, allows hope for a future and allows happiness in the moment.
The personal meanings behind words can change over time, understanding the change and accepting the change, allows for the use of those words in the present.
I am grateful for all the blessings in my life and the chance to continue to change and live and learn to be the me that is full of possibility and potential and loved by those that share my life.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Long way home

Long way home
   Traveling on hands and knees
        Every day is please...please...please
                                        And thank you
I want to be with you
   Told not to dwell on the past
                         But every turn
                               Brings back a sin...a wrong
                               All the things I've done
Reminding me of the pain
      And hurt I've wrung
                     From you--I've put you through

      What am I to do
    When all I want to
                  Say is...I love you

I'm on my feet
        Ready to meet
             Each moment of each day
        I'm on my way
        My way home
              I apologize with every breath
              I know the past can't be undone
                         Things said can't be taken back
                                              Can't be unheard

What am I to do
   When all I want to do
         Is stay with you

The maze of madness
       The labyrinth full of
              Closed doors and dead ends
                   Navigating my way home
I've traveled on hands and knees
                            I'm on my feet
            Step by step
I move closer to you
                         closer to home

What am I to do
   When all I want from you
               Is to hear you say
                                     I love you

Actions speak louder than words
                             this I've heard
             But they don't take the place
                 Of how my heart will race
              When you speak to me
                When you use the key
                              And say those three
                                      Words...words...words

Song from the Heart

On this day
   Let me say
I am here in the present
                in the present
Being with you
          through and through
     When I feel this way
      It is here    I     want to stay

Those words
    Those phrases
        The day-to-day
     They sound cliche
These words
    These phrases
        I'm here to say

I love you     I love you
     I love you this day
     I love you and I'm   here   to   stay
                                    here   to   stay

The past is the past
   No changing what was
Living in the now
              the now
     because     because
Being with you
          fills me up
                makes me smile
                     wanna go that extra mile
Done living in the past
   I'm living in the now
         I'm learning how
               I'm letting go
         Of those memories whoo...oo...oo
                       I'm living in the now
          this is how

I love you     I love you
     I love you this day
     I love you and I'm here    to   stay
                                  here   to   stay
                  to   stay          to stay

I love you     I love you
     I love you this day
                     this day     this      day