As you journey (Aug '06)

I wanted to share this poem. It was on a birthday card which I've kept for years... I don't know who wrote it, but I'd like to meet them someday.

"As you journey through life, choose your destinations well, but do not hurry there. You will arrive soon enough. Wander the back roads and forgotten paths, keeping your destination in your heart like the fixed point of a compass. Seek out new voices, strange sights, and ideas foreign to your own. Such things are riches for the soul. And if, upon arrival, you find that your destination is not exactly as you had dreamed, do not be disappointed. Think of all you would have missed but for the journey there, and know that the true worth of your travels lies not in where you come to be at journey's end, but in who you came to be along the way." - anonymous

I witnessed 2 miracles in 2 days! (Aug '06)

The entry just below this one talks briefly about the miracle birth of baby Kevin (which I was witness to)... and the 2nd miracle in just as many days was my great friend Julia Alter - getting married!!!

That's right folks... for those of you who are feeling the need to do so, I recommend we take a moment of silence for the past single life of Julia Alter's. Because it's history!

Julia found her treasure trove ... in Michael Canvin! Not that Julia won't do this but I have to tell the whole world that she found a GEM in this man! He cherishes her, is enthralled by her words, nourishes her creativity, and most importantly loves her in the same profound manner in which she loves him... with every last morsel in her!

I was witness, photographer, crying fool, and proud friend of my Julia yesterday. What an honor to be a part of this day...

The wonders of a newborn baby! (Aug '06)

As I have done for a few of my girlfriends, I went to the hospital with my friend Becki yesterday for the delivery of her 1st baby boy! (They have 2 girls already - 7 yrs and 3 yrs.) And while I've been through the delivery of four babies so far, it's just so amazing to watch the miracle of birth unfold! All of the emotions (fear, excitement, pain, gratefulness, anticipation) colliding in 1 little moment!

While I'm not yet a mother, I can't yet KNOW what those feelings are and how they take over your being... but as a photographer, I feel that I live just a little bit of someone else's life when I'm taking in their world as it is happening.

May I introduce the beautiful young man brought into the world yesterday... Today I am so proud to be Auntie Lori! And thrilled beyond belief... I cannot imagine how his parents are feeling today.

Kevin Lee McAdow was born 8/23/06 at 10:50 am. Weighing in at 8 lbs, 6 oz... and stretching out to 19 inches.

For Once... (Aug '06)

For once... someone in Hollywood accepts responsibilities for his actions! Thank you, Mel Gibson, for pleading "no contest" regarding the charges against you when arrested while speeding, and all the while very much intoxicated.

Mel - you're receiving loads and loads of flack from your associates (some of them being so-called 'friends'), but I for one am proud to say that you and I are are only human. And to step up and take accept responsibility for our own actions is human. Thanks for not being like Britney Spears and blaming it on the paparazzi! Thanks for being straight up from the beginning and simply apologizing for some very bad decisions.

The rest of Hollywood, and the rest of humanity, could learn something you - from both the bad decisions and the good. Hats off to you, Mr. Gibson!

'A Nation of Wimps'... an MSN article (Aug '06)

http://health.msn.com/pregnancykids/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100142037&GT1=8404

If you have children or not, we can all learn from what psychologists are saying about the dangers of overprotecting our nation's children. Not just your own children... but society as a whole. The link above will take you to a semi-lengthy article... but in my opinion, well worth the read! Well worth some time to think about how society could be creating a 'Nation of Wimps'!

While my husband and I don't have any children, we have learned gazillions of lessons from friends with children. We soak up the good and the bad when it comes to discipline styles, how parents react to problems with their children (self-induced or not), and then farther on down the road to hear what they would do differently.

How many mothers would take parenting advice from a woman without children?! Not many. And that's OK. If I were a mom I wouldn't take advice from me either. However, there may be something to that piece of wisdom that infers those farther away from the problem might see better solutions than those people in the middle of the problem.

But psychologists are now announcing what I've been theorizing for a long time: the over-protective and hyper-concerned parent can do more damage to their kids than they realize. By cushioning all of the play grounds and taking away tether ball from the play grounds (because someone could get a concussion from that flying ball) we are taking away their chances to learn to cope, to deal with anxiety, to learn some tough lessons in life, to push on through adversity, to be strong in the midst of fear, ... I could go on. Instead they come running to mommy and daddy to solve all of their problems... because that's how they've learned to handle conflict.

What long term message are we sending our children about resolving conflict if we run to their defense all the time? That they aren't quite capable of resolving it themselves? What message are we sending them when we jump from our chairs to catch them upon their stumble? That they aren't capable of handling any pain in their lives and that they should eliminate all risk from their lives?

For more thoughts on this topic see entry below entitled "Was I born in the wrong century?!" (Mar '06)