frazzled & frumpy

This girl has my heart. (Yes, all of my children do. Of course.) But there is something undeniable about the connection between female hearts and minds. Our spirits are entwined in eternities. A golden thread binds us. From the moment the ultrasound tech said those magical words, "It's a girl." my soul has known her. My daughter. My sister. My friend. A couple of years ago Sadie decided to go on a mission. Often, when people heard this, their reactions were heavily seasoned with doubt. "Oh, you're thinking of going?"  "Yeah, we'll see." Or her favorite, "You'll be married by then." Others may have doubted. I never did. And neither did she. After months of getting 'stuff' done, including getting her wisdom teeth pulled, her papers were finally submitted three weeks ago. And then we waited. One week ago, the big white envelope arrived. Now, most missionaries have some place they hope to go. Most of them are...

Our minds are capable of much. Our spirits are valiant and strong. But, life has a way of wearing us down and sometimes, we simply need a tune-up.  I spent most of last week away from my family. I left on Tuesday and didn't come home till Saturday. During those four days, I spent time with my new, fabulous friends, with my sisters, some time all alone, and two days surrounded by twenty thousand other women. Want to know what heaven sounds like? I think it sounds like 20,000 women singing together.  All of it- amazing. Years ago, this kind of week would have sent the Handy Man into a panic. Now, after all these years, he understands that sometimes I simply need a break. He knows that I will in fact miss him (and the kids), but I will not call every hour, or even every day. (I texted him daily, so he wasn't completely abandoned.) Most importantly, he knows I will come home a 'new woman'. I will be ready to face the daily task of caring for our children and o...

I’m sitting in my sister, Ellen’s, kitchen, watching her bustle around cooking wonderful food.  Sarah and I ‘help’-- she cuts berries and I make guacamole.  We talk and laugh as we wait for Heidi, the fourth member of our quartet, to arrive.  These scenes remind me of when I was a girl.  I would watch my mother and her sisters.  I was fascinated by their relationship, the comfortable way they had.  I didn’t understand what it was, but it was something . Their faces lit up, they laughed at secret jokes and spoke of womanly things.  I wanted to be around them, to feel the overflow of what they shared.  I would sit at the edge of their circle, trying to absorb it. I understood it better as I grew.  I found myself drawn to the company of other women.  Being in a group of females made me happy. It gave me a surge of strength that lasted long after.  We women have a bond that is unique and sometimes indescribable.  Spir...

I need to get something off my chest. I know, as 'unendowed' as I am you'd think I'd be happy to have something on my chest, but not this. I've been cynical and humorous, and I carefully considered whether to include a post that is serious. But, I feel like I need to. This blog is about my thoughts and this is where my thoughts are right now. So, here goes. Do you ever look around at the women you know and wonder what trials they're going through? You know everyone has them, but from the outside looking in, we have no idea the private challenges each other faces. They say that if you had to choose, you would pick your own trials over someone elses. But, when you're going through something, you start to think that other people's problems couldn't be any worse than yours. (I know it isn't true, but it feels true.) You see this woman, and her hair is always cute, her clothes nice and fashionable, her figure just right. Her kids are we...