Table for Eight

Our Gratitude Tree: thanks to my mom and Pinterest. (We write what we are thankful for on little tags, then hang them on the branches throughout the month.) This weekend I watched a documentary on NetFlix about ways we can improve or contribute to life on Planet E. And this one quote, or analogy, in it really has me thinking. A lot. So I thought I would share it with you and see if you think it's as DEEP as I do: "In nature, living things don't take more than what they need to sustain life. For example, the Redwood tree only takes the nutrients (from soil) it needs to sustain life. No more, no less. And the cheetah only catches/kills one gazelle to sustain its own life. Not three or four at a time.  So in nature, the practice is 'Use only what you need to sustain life.' And yet, in human society we violate this practice every day: we consistently take/eat/claim more than what we need to sustain our lives. And ironically, there's a word in...

LuLu and Jr.--three years ago. Three years ago today, LuLu and Jr. joined our family. They were 5 and 9 at the time--and staying in temporary care ( The Christmas Box House ) for children waiting to be matched with a foster family. We were a family of 6 (Dave, me and our 4 kiddos) who'd recently certified as a foster family. At the time, Jay was 14, Bam was 12, Papaya was 9, and ZuZu was 5. PS: Dave and I were over 35. Ha! Looking back now, I realize none of us knew what we were doing that day when this all began. We didn't know how long we'd be together. We didn't know how well we'd get along. And we honestly didn't know if "we could do it." (Well, do it well. Yanno?) For Jr. and LuLu, it was SO much to ask:  -- separate from loved ones (and grieve) -- join a new family, a new community -- change schools -- accept new siblings -- and adjust to a life where your long-term decisions are not in your own hands (they're in t...

When I was a kid, I remember my mom moving furniture around . . . a lot . Like, I think our family room had more than 25 configurations during my teenage years. At the time, I never really understood why my mom liked to move the furniture so much. I just knew that if dad wasn't home when mom got the idea to move it--my brother and I were going to be gaining some serious resume experience as future "Starving Student Movers." Now flash-forward 30+ years, and I realize why my mom moved the furniture so much. (At least I think I know.) She likes things moving, growing . . . not stagnant and predictable. So, moving the furniture was one of my mom's ways of making that kind of visible movement/growth/space/change in our lives. I like that idea. The idea of change and movement. Growth. And I like how something simple, like moving furniture can create energy and enthusiasm in other areas of our lives. It's pretty amazing. So with that in min...