meditations of a blueberry

Blessed. I think of myself as very blessed. Besides my fabulous husband and child (soon to be children), I have fabulous and very supportive family and friends. I have never felt judged nor looked down upon for choices that I have made as a parent. I have read so many comments about people who have less-than-supportive friends and family. People who have had their loved ones tell them they are wrong/reckless/disgusting for choices they have made regarding their children. Even my close group of friends have had negative comments made to them about choices they have made. I keep waiting for such negativity to flood into my life, but it has yet to do so. I feel extremely lucky that I haven't had to deal with any such comments.  Thanks for always supporting me Mom and Dad! I have managed to surround myself with fantastic and mostly like-minded friends thanks to momstown, and if my family (both mine and mrblueberry's) doesn't agree with my choices, well, they don't s...

This weekend is Family Day weekend in Alberta. It's always a welcome break in what is usually a very cold month. This year winter has barely touched us (so far, I'm sure winter will be here, even if it's in May!), so I am looking forward to spending some quality time with my men outside.  In years past, I have actually used this weekend to travel home to see my family, especially since moving to Edmonton.  It can be really disappointing at times to not have them near me when I hear about all the fun things that others are doing with their families. For quite a while, I felt quite alone and isolated here. Yes, I had mrblueberry during this time, but sometimes that isn't enough. Sometimes a girl just needs girlfriends! It can be really hard to make friends as an adult. And since I didn't have a regular job, it was harder. There are many benefits to working as a substitute teacher, but getting to know the other teachers and forming friendships with coworkers is not ...

  You don't choose your family.  They are God's gift to you, as you are to them.   ~Desmond Tutu When we got married, we had the belief that we were starting our own family and that when we had kids we would be focusing on our own little unit. That belief was strengthened when we had E and I am glad that both of us feel that it is important to do so. But that doesn't make me miss my other family any less. In fact, I miss them more. And as I have gotten older, I have realized what a blessing my family is and how much I appreciate them. Since having E, every day I wish that we lived closer to my parents and siblings. Since high school (over 10 years ago, yikes!), I have lived away from home. And not just away meaning not at home, but hours away. In Lethbridge, we were 5.5 hours away. Luckily, in Lethbridge I was blessed to be close to a fabulous aunt who was always there for me and provided not only love, but meals and comfort when our bank account was less th...

I realized something today. In the midst of family and friends on Thanksgiving weekend, I realized that I am a very blessed woman. I have fabulous friends who know just the right things to say at just the right times. I have family who I know would be there for me in a heartbeat if I ever needed them to be. I have a husband who is not only my best friend, but is my confidante and lover and treats me so. I have a son whose very smile brightens up the worst day or night. I am able to have pets and both of them are in tune with me and know when I need extra snuggles. I live in a time where I get to choose whether or not I want to return to work after having a baby. I get to go and make myself heard in an election by voting. If I am cold, I can turn on the furnace and not have to choose between heat or food. I don't have to worry about stepping outside to gunfire, or landmines, or some terrible disease. My biggest concern is not whether or not I will have enough food and water to give ...

There is something refreshing about the fall in the mountains. I can't quite put my finger on it, but after being in BC for 4 days, I feel lighter. Like all of my worries and concerns just floated away with the morning fog or was washed away by the mountain showers. While I agree that a lot of rain anywhere can be depressing, a little mountain rain is nothing like rain in Alberta. Mountain rain refreshes my soul. It washes away my insecurities. In the fall, the mornings are usually foggy; however, by noon it has usually lifted. In that time, the sun's rays shine through the fog as if from heaven themselves, as if their touch turns the leaves from green to gold.  The gold and copper leaves of fall remind me that even in death there is beauty. Here are a few pictures from my drive through the mountains: The trip to BC was fabulous. E cooperated for the drive (for the most part), and we made it there in record time--6 hours with one 20 minute stop for lunc...