Happy Sunday

It's nice and sunny here today, which is a nice change from the rain we had for the past three days.  And today I am officially 20 weeks along, which is cool.  That means that if this one is born at 38 weeks like Ava then I am more than halfway there.  woot!

I was home most of the week because Ava was out of school for the holidays... it was nice to have a break from teaching but boy, being a stay at home mom sure is tough for me.  I get really cabin feverish and very much in need of personal space.  I adore my daughter, don't get me wrong... I am just not cut out for being an at home parent unless it includes time away each day for some independent focus on my own pursuits.

So... 2009. How about that?  Anyone have any specific goals for this year?  Obviously this will be a big year for us all, with many of our september 2004 kids starting kindergarten.  Hard to believe, really.  So for us it is mostly about our family growing, Matt hopefully taking over the executive chef position at his hotel when his chef leaves in february, and maybe us buying an apartment... which would be really exciting.  Personally I am also committing to practicing yoga and with flossing my teeth EVERY DAY.  

In other thoughts, I just want to say that everyone has different ideas about when to speak and when to hold their tongue when they have ideas about anothers life.  BUT no matter how good our intentions, we need to pair them with grace and a sense of who we are speaking to.  Not everyone responds well to tough love, and at this point we know each other well enough that we all know who does and who doesn't.  It is hard to listen to a friend complain about being mistreated and not want to fix it for her, but I learned a long time ago here that some of us aren't asking for solutions, just sharing and venting.  That was challenging for me, because I am a pretty action oriented person, I don't tend to vent about things for comfort.  But I can understand that Gen does, I think for her just sharing what is happening is enough.  When she is ready she will come to her own  plan and make her own choices, only she can know what the right choices are.  The hardest part of loving someone is waiting for them to come to things in their own time... but it is important that we don't seek to relieve our own minds by telling her to do it our way.  Whatever your intentions you still have to ask yourself if your words will really do good, or do harm, to the ears that hear them.  When in doubt, I think the gentlest path is best.

much love

MaryStarr