When

Hands that held me 

When I was sick.

When I made a bad grade.

When I made a bad choice.

When I fell down, trying to jump too far too fast.

When someone hurt me or made me feel small.

When I needed a boost of confidence.

When I needed comfort and peace.

When I won a prize or performed a great show.

When I conquered my fears and did it anyway.

When I went away to college.

When I got my first big, well-paying job.

When I walked down the aisle.

When I decided to move far away.

When I decided to quit my well-paying job for a dream.

When the dream wasn't at all what I thought it would be.

When I gave birth- both times.

When I didn't know how to stop the crying- mine or the baby's.

When I forged a bright new path, full of promise and hope.

When I began to see how hard it would be to stay on that path,

With so many little obligations tugging at me, needing me to care for them,

Yet knowing those little obligations are Love, Life and Everything Good.


And now, 

When I worry about you. 

When I am wholly uncertain about the future,

Dreading the time when you can no longer hold my hand

Or speak my name.

When you need me to be strong,

I am here,

As ready as I'll ever be,

With hands that hold.

What Now?

“What now is not just a panic-stricken question tossed out into a dark unknown. 

What now can also be our joy. It is a declaration of possibility, of promise, of chance. It acknowledges that our future is open, that we may well do more than anyone expected of us, that at every point in our development we are still striving to grow. 

There’s a time in our lives when we all crave the answers. It seems terrifying not to know what’s coming next. 

But there is a time, a better time, when we see our lives as a series of choices, and What now represents our excitement and our future, the very vitality of life. It’s up to you to choose a life that will keep expanding. It takes discipline to remain curious; it takes work to be open to the world- but oh my friends, what noble and glorious work it is.”

-Ann Patchett

What now?

All's Quiet in Love

I can hear the crickets chirping around here, 'cause somebody has started kindergarten.

My little guy. My youngest. My baby boy.

I remember when I first had the ultrasound telling me I was having a boy. I'll admit to being a little disappointed. I already had a little girl, mind you, but secretly I'd hoped for another one. This is because:

A. That's what I knew about: girls.

and

B. I love having a sister myself. (And I've got a goodie!)

But mainly because I had no idea how much I would love having a little guy around, with all of his sweet little quirks, a pint-size face peeking out at me underneath a giant baseball cap, constantly asking me to play baseball/hockey/football/soccer or read about baseball/hockey/football/soccer. Giving me the stats on this player or that. Having a rough and tumble personality that is, at the same time, (somehow) kind and precious.

And I had no idea how much my heart would ache when he went off to school, abandoning me to do all of the wonderful things that I've been aspiring to do with my career once I had more time. Leaving me with larger chunks of time and energy to focus on what I need and want to do: to write, to design career education programs, to expand my networks, to work with clients, develop a social media plan and to devour my thick, juicy non-fiction books on careers, creativity, human behavior and the like.

(What can I say? I'm a career geek.)

Yes, I do have more time to do what I love, and for that I'm so very grateful.

I just have to get used to these blasted crickets.

Music Legend Levon Helm: Stick with the Fun Stuff

"I don't fool with a lot of things that I can't have fun with. There's not much reward in that. For instance, after we mixed the album that you couldn't hear over a speaker, I shied away from engineering, you might say." 

-Levon Helm

Drummer/ Singer/
Songwriter/ Actor

1984 interview with Modern Drummer