Childhoodtake2!

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 approve.

My goodness, I spent too many years of my life seeking this.
Too many years begging for it.
And although it started with family, it bled into everything and everyone else.

If I'm being honest, it still does.
Part of me wants to be heard.
Part of me wants to be seen.
Part of me wants the ones that don't believe in me to go away, no matter where you fall in my life.
Just stop talking to me about how little faith you have in me.

But, if I dig a bit deeper.
I just want to approve and be proud of me.
I am using all of the negativity as a distraction and as an excuse.
Nothing anyone says should hurt me the way words hurt me.

If I just believed and approved of, me.

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 shit.

I, of course, am not ready. Nor is it time.
Everyone is starting to think about fall already, but I am still working on my tan and basking in the warmth of the sun.
The calendar isn't ready either. We have most of August left.
We are not ready to make the shift into fall.

I, of course, am not ready. Nor should it be time.
Today, you did your senior pictures.
You will have you last first day of school...you were always my first lasts.
You are filling out your applications and you wrote your essay.
You are ready.
The time is coming when I will no longer see you every single day of your life.
The shift is coming.

The one thing I have noticed most is that time does keep marching on and it forces us to shift with it. Even if we are not ready.
I believe that the hardest part of grief is watching the world march on and your loved one not holding your hand through it so you refust to shift.

This summer has been whimsical, fun loving, hard at time, full of joy and laughter, with a solid mix of anxiety and hormonal shifts.

Ready or not, time marches right on.

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 outcome.

On Monday, July 6th, the US will play in a World Cup game and try to advance. They have had one hell of a run.
Despite the outcome of this match, this World Cup has had a profound impact on our citizens and country.

Being played on US soil, this game has brought Americans together. It has brought people from all over the world here, and they got to see the real us, and we got to see the real them.
We watched them dance in our streets, sing, chant, and have their traditions, their loud, crazy.
We got to celebrate with them, and we got to jump up and down. We got to go to watch parties, and as a family, we got to go to a game! Somehow, a game allowed us all to come together.
We all healed a little bit. We all remembered that politics is the issue, not the people.

Being played on US soil, around the fourth of July, has me missing my dad this year in a way I thought I had moved on from. He would be proud of this country. He would be pissed that Italy wasn't there, but he would be proud of the US for going this far. And I reminded myself that missing him, that too is healing.

The outcome of the matches mattered to those who came to support. Americans are ready for the USA to go far, especially this year, but the outcome of these games goes so much farther than scores and advances.

Somehow, a game brought the world together in peace and love. And we will forever cherish you for healing us.

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 vibe.

Let's have this summer be a vibe.
It's our last before the big planning for your college years.
It's our last to rest, be, not be waiting for the change that will come.

Let's have this summer be a vibe.
Let's eat dinner outside.
Let's sit by our little pool.
Let's have our puppies run around with actual smiles on their faces.

Let's have this summer be a vibe.
Let's take in all of the Cape.
Let's eat all of the things we want.
Let's laugh, and walk, and paddleboard, and be with friends.

Let's have this summer be a vibe.
Let's have ice cream.
Let's have drinks.
Let's go out.
Let's stay in.
Let's build a fire.

Let's have this summer be a damn vibe.

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 deal.

To love like a mother is like nothing else in this world.
It is raw, and real, and all encompassing, while trying not to allow it to be all-consuming.
It's a balance, a constant balance.
It's breaking up with yourself, redefining yourself, refinding yourself.
It's falling asleep at the wheel, and dropping the ball, and picking it back up, and being so on, and all in.
It's not falling asleep at the wheel, and keeping all the balls in the air, and picking up everything, and being so on, and all in.

It's love. Pure love.
It's realizing your purpose, your meaning.
It's creating and letting go, and guidance and sacrifice.

It's a deal, one you make with yourself, the universe, the child.
I will love you from your first breath, and my very last.

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 decision.

2026 is my year of awakening, and I came to this difficult word by putting in a lot of hard work and deciding I need to move forward. I have gone away for quite some time, and I needed to wake back up, open my eyes, stretch a little, walk about the earth, take in some very deep breaths.

And part of that decision means I need to very carefully, over time, nurture myself back to life.

But the decision has been made. This is the year I have to shake off the cobwebs, I have to remember who I was, who I am, and who I want to once again be. No second thoughts because I am tired of being asleep in this world.

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 beginning.

In the beginning, it was just you and me, and our little Mia made three. We were so simple, so easy, so full of joy, and loving the simple life all around us. Our weekends consisted of long walks for coffee, ice cream dinners, and lots of Chinese food. We watched all the shows and even more movies.

As time went by, our lives got more complicated, our connection a little foggy, and busy became our badge of honor. But it was the beginning of us that kept us grounded in who we actually are, even during the weeks, or months, or years, in which those two people felt like strangers.

As time continues to go by, we are finding our way back to the beginning. Back to the calm and joy and ease, just with lots of responsibilities and a few more wrinkles and grays. But, when we hold hands, and smooch, the beginning of us comes rushing back. Because at the end of this parenting life, we will be right back where we started. You and me and puppy makes three.

I

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 polite.

I was taught to be seen and not heard.
I was taught to smile and play along.
I was taught go along to get along.
I was taught that being polite is the most important thing.

And now, I am teaching you differently.
I am reminding you to lead with your heart and kindness, but no, hard no to being polite.

Politeness is how you get hurt.
Politeness is how you get lost.
Politeness is how you say yes to anything.

So no.
Do not be polite.
Be seen and heard.
Question, ask why, ask if there's a different way.

Do better than smile and get along.
Be louder, stand up for who you are.
Be less mousy than me, be proud of who you are and what you believe in.

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 nurture.

I hold you close.
I protect and keep you safe.
I protect your light.
I build you up.
I can see, in my mind's eye, all you can accomplish.
I make you dream, a little bigger.
I see you potential, and it's pretty f'ing grand.
So, keep going. Keep being you. Because you are the best you I know.

I hold you close.
I protect and keep you safe.
I protect your light.
I am your biggest fan.
Forever and always in your corner.
Even when we don't agree.
Even when you are clearly wrong, I have to steer you back to your heart.
I see your heart, I carried it in my body, I know what it is capable of.

I hold you close.
I protect and keep you safe.
I protect your light.
I laugh with you.
I run with you.
I work out with you.
I bike with you.
I walk with you.
I read with you.
I play games with you.
I watch show after show with you.

I hold you close.
I protect and keep you safe.
I protect your light.
I allow you to lead our dance, because you lead the way.
I allow you to grow and be, because I know you've got this. All of this.
I will always and forever have my arms open to you.

I hold you close.
I protect and keep you safe.
I protect your light.
I am your nurtuer and I love like a mother.

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 bury.

I've this creeping
Suspicion that things here are not as they seem
Reassure me
Why do I feel as if I'm in too deep...
...I will go alone
Long way
Bury the past for I don't want to pay
Oh, how I wish this
To turn back the clock and do over again
-DMB

For so many years, I have wanted to bury the past. I have wanted to move on, forget, maybe even forgive.
But, I am in a new period in which I want all of the memories, the warm ones that I will remember on my death bed and the cold ones that send chills down my spine.

Because all of them make me.
All of them are reminders of how quickly time passes.
How nothing, good or bad, lasts forever.
So, there is no need to bury the past.
Bring it up, forgive your wrongdoings, forgive others even if they are no longer in your life.
And live.

As they say, live this one, precious, glorious life you are given.
And to keep the stones from weighing you down, you have to turn them over, examine them, and toss them into the water to become pebbles.
Wish them well as you let them go.

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 cold.

This winter really hit.
The cold, the snow, the ice, it's been described as harsh.
Just last weekend, a snowstorm shut us down from Texas to NY, and everything in between.

But I am not complaining.
I am a true NY girl, and I love this time of year.
I crave the hibernation, and more than anything else, I crave the quiet.

The walks I take are silent.
The runs, all you can hear is the sound of my steps.
The sound of snow falling makes the outside stop; it forces you to listen to just how quiet it all is.

The nights come sooner, making us all the more tired.
The gray makes us adore the sun when she shines through.
The cold makes you add extra blankets, snuggle in as a whole family, everyone bundled.

NY in the wintertime hits differently.
You have to love it to be a part of it.
You have to embrace it, or it will swallow you whole.
You have to understand it and learn how to live and love it.
Because spring and summer always come.
Everything always thaws.
And the parties are about to begin.
So for now, you can find me snuggled on my couch.
Buried beneath blankets with puppies on either side.
You can find my gorgeous hound by the fire, and my little Yorkie on my lap.
You can find my littles, as big as they now are, still holding my hand while we watch movies and shows.
You can find me embracing NY in all her quiet, cold, winter.