Trigger warning: depression, suicidal thinking If you’re reading this, thanks for hanging out. I’m beginning again again. Opagque darkness has been visited upon me this past month, following a family upheaval. The spiral down was quick and steep, maybe because it’s so familiar. This time though, I got closer than I have ever been. OnContinue reading “Letting Go”
Tag Archives: Love
Parent is Also a Verb 3/14/23
Parent is a verb – until it’s not. At some point, the light turns red. Stop. Your job is done whether it feels like it or not, whether or not the results meet your expectations. Over the teen years, the parenting light should turn yellow. Our sons and daughters should be gaining independence all theirContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 3/14/23”
Good Day to You, Sir
Don’t know what kind of funk I’m in but I think SurvivingSara.net will be quiet for some time. It’s not that I chose a break. It chose me. I really think I’ll be back on here but I have no idea when. I think of you, people who’ve taken the time to read one postContinue reading “Good Day to You, Sir”
Parent is Also a Verb 12/5/22
LESS IS MORE, I PROMISE! When my children were young, they were given many gifts. When you take into account grandparents, aunts & uncles, mom & dad and, of course, Santa; the number of presents under the tree seems to increase exponentially as Christmas nears. Little ones are teased by the accumulation. When can weContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 12/5/22”
Watching the Machinery Break Down
Can you imagine how proud the farmer pictured was? This equipment was built in 1938 and looks like it’s of good use. Would you expect that piece of machinery to be running still in 2022? If you could get the engine started, its performance, if any, would certainly not compare with the earlier years. MyContinue reading “Watching the Machinery Break Down”
Parent is Also a Verb 11/28/22
Candy canes and popcorn chains Ribbons and bows with pretty boxes below What does your Christmas look like? Do you have family traditions from your childhood you’re now incorporating into the individual, couple, or all-in-with-kids Christmas you’re designing? Or not. Intentionally free of those reminders? Hanukkah? Kwanzaa? Doing your own thing? I propose that havingContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 11/28/22”
Happy Thanksgiving!
Thankful. Receiving blessings. Acknowledging what’s good and right in our lives. I am most thankful for my family and friends, Their love sustains me. I am grateful for our dog, my constant companion. Having food to eat, a warm house, operating vehicles, medical insurance, a comfortable bed, and a safe neighborhood make me one ofContinue reading “Happy Thanksgiving!”
Searching for Peace
Caution: Frank discussion of suicide. If you need help, call 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline to speak to mental health professionals. She danced and traveled. She was an accomplished psychiatric nurse and author. A searcher, she was seeking answers, solutions, alternatives. She provided support, encouragement, friendship and love to more people than we’ll ever know.Continue reading “Searching for Peace”
Ashley
Sensitive post w/discussion about suicide. My friend & fellow blogger, Ashley Peterson, isn’t with us anymore and I’m so damn sad. She befriended me in my early blog days three years ago. She (I don’t want to use past tense) was amazing. Her website is mentalhealthathome.org. She wrote posts and books, did movie reviews, sharedContinue reading “Ashley”
More & More
Living with my German mother-in-law looks different than I thought it would after one month. It’s not as horrible daily as I thought it could be, given the many irritating, self-centered, and negative ways she’s behaved over the past 33 years. The biggest issue I had was the way she treated my dog. She broughtContinue reading “More & More”
To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn
My birthdays (I accidentally typed ‘girthdays’ which may be more appropriate!) aren’t such a big deal to me; I just consider it a day to pamper myself. Same ol’ same ol’ this year, my 58th birthday and I’m still so sick from changing medications for fibromyalgia. This time, though, was different! My husband began myContinue reading “To Everything Turn, Turn, Turn”
Parent is Also a Verb 9/15/22
There is much more a parent can do to assist a child’s with education besides standing over them, making sure they do homework. True support for learning can begin early in life, before a child begins kindergarten. Helping your child build scaffolding will improve experiences in school and not just reading. Scaffolding? What the heckContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 9/15/22”
Parent is Also a Verb 8/28/22
One of the most important gifts a parent can bestow upon their child is resilience. Over the decades since the 1970’s, the message regarding the significance of self-esteem has certainly been taken to heart by many parents, and it is important, but some of the ways people go about strengthening a child’s self-esteem result inContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 8/28/22”
A New Porpoise & a Bit of Rambling
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of others” – Charles Dickens Puzzling recently about my purpose in life, established in the mid two oughts. [I still don’t know how to address the first decade of our century. The 80’s, 90’s, and 00’s in writing but what about when one isContinue reading “A New Porpoise & a Bit of Rambling”
Parent is Also a Verb 8/13/22
Oh, but it goes so fast! Enjoy time with your little kids now. Before you know it, they’ll be grown and gone. You’ll miss these days later. And on & on & on. At a big box store about 20 years ago, my two boys, ages two and three, sat side-by-side laughing together as theyContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 8/13/22”
WARNING: Loud Ahead
I was watching a video on YouTube of a symposium on decreasing stress and increasing peace in life. There were a couple of professors whose presentations I paid minimal attention while concurrently writing, tweeting, or playing games. Then an expert was introduced who surprised me. Here in the heart of academia was a Hindu guruContinue reading “WARNING: Loud Ahead”
Dream a Little Dream
Detailed, emotional dreams play in my night theater. Frequently, the plays have a theme, one to another night to night for a few days. No matter the characters or plot involved, I don’t quite belong. Sometimes I’m keeping a secret that would result in loss of esteem were it exposed. Other times. I skirt theContinue reading “Dream a Little Dream”
Parent is Also a Verb 7/29/22
Do you want your children to always be honest with you? Do you, or will you, tell them that they can discuss anything with you, that your home is a safe place to share difficult situations? Be careful what you ask for. At bedtime, when our kids were young, I’d sing a ditty of myContinue reading “Parent is Also a Verb 7/29/22”
I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet
In 2021, our younger son, let’s call him Bob, was living with us while he went to school and worked. Late in the year, I’m not sure which came first, the older son, let’s call him Joe, asking to move back in after a couple years piy on his own or Bob announcing he wasContinue reading “I Feel the Earth Move Under My Feet”
Do You Remember Me?
To my sons, There was a time I was active. We went on hikes after school, even though you couldn’t figure out “Why do we have to do this?” Watching out front when you went out to play in order to intercept fights with neighbors or general mischief. I did yardwork while you rode bikesContinue reading “Do You Remember Me?”
SurvivingSara 