Childhoodtake2!

Marissa Mullen wrote one hell of a poem...

i was born in a soft summer rain.
i am most in-season
when the sun is high and warm.
when the day is long.
when the peaches are ripe.
when the soil is soft and forgiving.
my body is a house of flowers - i am most fragrant in june.
/ summer bones - Marissa Mullen

Meanwhile...

i was born on a warm fall night
i am most in-season
when the sun is starting to set earlier
when the day is starting to shorten and hibernation is wanted, needed, when things slow down.
when the apples are ripe and the trees are changing, just slightly.
when the soil is hardening and bracing itself.
my body is a house of warm, cozy, soft scents- i am most fragrant in september.
/ fall bones - Sabrina Houser

There is something that happens when September becomes October.
The fear of summer ending becomes less.
The beauty becomes different.
The smells, the sounds, the slowing the hell down.
The fun and always-up for anything and always-up become it's summer, starts to slow.
The sun even starts to feel tired.
The weather, the earth, we're all tired.
-fall bones

The leaves make sounds.
The shedding starts.
The smells are of fire, warmth, and smoke.
The releasing starts.
-fall bones

The sun takes longer to wake up - same.
The sun has to go to bed earlier - same.
The sun needs to rest - same.
The sun peaks in and out, flirting with us.
-fall bones

i was born on a warm fall night
my body is a house of warm, cozy, soft scents- i am most fragrant in september.
-fall bones

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on weight.

Of parenting.
Of working.
Of owning.
Of relationships.
Of life.

Of the past.
Of getting over the past.
Of the future.
Of what could go wrong.
Of what could happen.
Of life.

Of being.
Of being healthy.
Of being enough.
Of being too much.
Of being a friend.
Of being.
Of life.

Of doing enough.
Of showing up enough.
Of showing up too much.
Of not showing up.
Of life.

Of raising them right.
Of breaking patterns.
Of not being scared all of the time.
Of not being me.
Of life.

The weight can be healthy.
And there are ways I have found to lighten the load.

Like a walk.
And a puppy kiss.
And a real hug.
And an I love you that means something.
And a hard workout.
And a good run.
And a good nap.
And a good sleep.
And a good book.
And a good cup of coffee.
And holding hands.
And being together.
And a great laugh.
And...

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on undecided.

This way or that?
Ready or not?
Wanting or needing?
Longing or obtainable?
Undecided.

Time to move or sit in the pain?
Time to work on it or let it go?
Time to heal or hurt?
Time to let the light back in, or swim in the darkness?
Undecided.

Time to let my heart shine, or hide?
Time to mend me, or change me?
Time to get have grace, or live in resentment?
Time to move forward, or learn from the past?
Undecided.

Can it be possible to hold it all at once?
Can it be possible to break through?
I heard that if you keep moving/walking/going forward, things get better.
Better people, better views, better weather, better outlook.
Undecided.

Every Friday we unite for five minutes. Only five minutes, that's all we get, that's all we have. And then, right where we are, no edits or second thoughts, we publish those words. This week, we write on two.

Me and you, just us two. - SJP

As our time as full-time parents is nearing it's last stretches...
And we are 90% of the way there with one and 85% of the way there with the other...
And my childhoodtake2 is forever changing...
We are getting closer and closer to, me and you, just us two.

Because first, there was you and me. And our little Mia made us three.
Then, we added Anna as our perfect number four, and since she was such a good idea, we decided to add...just one more.

This was the message I sent to family and loved ones when we announced our incredible son.
And as Cole became our exclamation point, and Mia raised us right, lived her purpose, and went to rest, we just kept on going.
As the fog of parenting really settled in, and we lost our way, we just kept on going.
By the time we added Perfect Pearl to our lives, we, I, needed a reminder of love and more love.
I needed a lot more joy and healing.
As we added career changes for the better, and sports schedules, and our kids grew and grew, we came up and out of the fog, and we just kept on going.
We continued.
We fought hard to continue.
We drank from a fire hose of changes.
I felt it more, I always do.
And now, we are in the final stretch.

I can't tell you that there will not be moments in the next few years that I won't break with dispair because I am watching them launch, but I am excited to see how we also launch. How we decide to keep going.
How we continue.
Because it's always been us, it's always been a we.

Me and you, just us two. - SJP