Below is a poem, newly penned by a young Afghan woman* and dear friend of mine. Her life and the life of her family is in constant danger because of her gender, nationality, and her family’s support of her education. Yet this brave young woman fights fearlessly for the liberation of all fellow Afghan women….
The days pass slowly, the years fly quickly by. If I had a nickel for every time someone has said this to me, I might be out of debt by now. I actually do not dread hearing those words, and I appreciate hearing them each time a well meaning older parent says them. For those…
Eleanor Roosevelt said, “everyday do one thing that you fear.” Well said sister. So, I am taking to the roof to conquer my fears. In an act of solidarity with other women who follow Eleanor’s advice, on most days at least, I decided that my fear of heights (despite my high school days as a…
The wisdom gleaned from motherhood, and parenthood, truly permeates the soul and holds eternal value. Now as Friday’s go, people are usually relieved to reach a week’s end. Last Friday was no different, as the week had been particularly stressful as week’s go. So last Friday my 3.5 year old son was sharing a moment…
Citing My Weaknesses 2008 – Conjoining motherhood with being a business owner is hard. I would maybe insert an expletive adjective prior to “hard” – truth be known. However, this site is rated “G.” Yesterday morning I could have preempted disaster if I could have cited (aka admitted and controlled) my usual weaknesses. The Backstory…
Last week I was able to go and speak with The Initiative to Educate Afghan Women (IEAW) 2009-10 class of incoming freshmen. If you have not been reading my blog, or have not heard of IEAW, then you are in for Great News.Since Breathing In This Life is for me, a kind of good news…
Just this past week Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, in her 7 country trip to Africa, has made statements which suggest she will make women’s rights one of her signature platforms. I am joyous about this move, as women all over the globe, and right here in America, suffer horrendously and unjustly. Click here…
A friend of mine recently confided to me what she truly wanted to pursue in her life – which was not her current job she had since she graduated from college. She was not sure if she could yet be “good” at her true passion, but she was sure she loved it and wanted to…
The day that I took the boys to the beach, about two weeks ago, was a day I will never forget. A typical hot, humid, perfect beach day on the island, I managed to get the boys and myself down to the beach, find a perfect place in the sand, set up the SPF 30…
I have decided to publish a private email to a old and dear friend, as an open letter to all women. My friend was and is struggling, and I swear I could feel it through the ether. Although we have not seen one another since before the birth (and conception even) of our second children…
An author wrote once, “I write to know what I am thinking.” Arms pumping in the air, I wholeheartedly agree. I absolutely must write to know what I am thinking. I must write, in other words, to have access to my mind. Although mind and body are not mutually exclusive – one cannot be tapped…
When I look at my children, I feel different things. Let’s be honest, we don’t always feel warm and fuzzy when we see our kids, especially when they are covered in poo, magic marker, syrup, or a combination of all three – and part of that concoction is on the sofa and walls. Sometimes, when…