I don't have a lot of lighthearted banter to share with you this week. The blogosphere was full of heavy topics, and I don't want to diminish them at all by joking. There was humor out there, of course, but most of all, a lot of soul searching and recounting personal struggles. And it's worth your time to read these posts- every one. So let's jump in.
This is the only lie in the blogaround this week, so let's get it out of the way. It's heartbreaking. And hurtful. And painful. But here's the thing about cancer... it is heartbreaking, and hurtful, and painful. So get over your moment of outrage at Lizzie and start feeling outraged about how little we're doing to prevent lies like this.
"The things that I'm afraid of" - Motherthoughts
This is the next thing you should read, because this explains all of the above. Mets. The worst. There is nothing we can do. There is nothing we know to make it go away. And we need to change that.
"This Obsession in a Country of Abundance" - Tao of Poop
This is another one that breaks my heart. There is a time and a place to talk about healthy food choices. Hell, there are HUNDREDS of them. This? Not one of them. And not even close to the way we need to address those issues. This is not the way people should ever approach a child.
"Playing Favorites: Which Child Is Your Favorite?" - Sorry, Mom. I didn't listen.
I admit it. Sometimes DD is my favorite. And sometimes RH is my favorite. And sometimes it's SI. But yes, there is a favorite at least once a day. And Lauren is right- whether real or imagined, as a kid I felt I knew who my parents' favorite was. And it did change depending on the day. And it did change the way I interacted with them. A lot of food for thought.
"A Thank You Note to my Bullies" - Another Piece of Cake
I love this post. Bullies... they're awful. And they're everywhere. And they fundamentally change you. But sometimes, given hindsight and healing, you realize that you might actually owe them some form of gratitude.
"Legacy" - The Writer RevivedAnother heartbreaking post from Elizabeth, about death and the way we live with it. About what we leave behind, and what we want to leave behind. I've thought a lot about death, about what our children will take away from us once we're gone. I hope it's as much as this mom gave her daughter.
"Keep me in your heart... I'll stay there forever" - Remember to Breathe
Cassie is living with Cystic Fibrosis, and recently lost her grandmother. Her daughter, who is very young, knows about her condition. She has learned about death, too intimately, and is now faced with the same list of issues that Elizabeth pondered in the previous piece. This is a beautiful post.
"5 Questions I Get Asked About My Liver Disease" - Hope Whispers
Another mom, another incurable disease. This mom of two is waiting on the transplant list for a new liver. Her condition and Cassie's are different, but they share some of the same story, the same game of fatigue and waiting and never giving up hope. Take a moment and learn about this life.
"I am there in the sunset" - Letter of Note
In Mount Auburn Cemetery, there is a plaque beside a gravestone. It is a love letter from the deceased, to her eternal Valentine. Life and death and love... they are all parts of the human condition, the human experience. It is always worthwhile to see beauty in all three. In everything.
"Let's Talk About Gay Mormons and Also Black People" - Mayor GiaThank you, Gia, for talking about serious issues in a way that makes me laugh and think at the same time. I can't list the number of times I've had this thought- is it really that hard to empathize? Is it that hard to just imagine that all people are simply people? Well done!
"Talking to Poop" - Ask Your Dad
Leave it to the dads to bring you back up to totally happy and collected and ready to face your day. I've had some pretty strange and humiliating potty training adventures with my kids. But this? I just... I just can't.
"The Lowness of Humanity" - The Kopp Girls
While we're on the subject of hilarious daddies and unfathomable poop stories... (Also- I may have lied about there only being one lie in this week's blogaround.)
"Watch the first 54 seconds..." - Upworthy
Yes, it's time to feel uplifted for a few glorious minutes. This is the kind of story that just gets to me. In a good way. I'm totally inspired.
"How Handiwork Can Bring Dads and Daughters Closer Together" - The Life of Dad
Brian is pretty handy around the house. And he has three little girls to assist him in the tasks of home improvement and upkeep that we all despise while simultaneously priding ourselves on our ability to complete. A wonderful post.
Thanks so much for posting by blog entry! You're the best!!! Have a great sunday.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing my post, Lea. It was a hugely, painfully awful lie to tell, and the writing of it was sickening. Not that this in any way assuaged the (one?) person who took it to their head to be Properly Offended by it *sigh*. Most people understood. Thank you for being one of them.
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks so much for the shoutout! You're awesome!
ReplyDeleteSo amazing to be featured on your blog, Lea. Thank you.
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