Hi Mom!

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Every time an award is received, or a game is won, and the winner yells into the camera, “Hi Mom!,” I smile. How great is it that moms are the first to be considered when a child does something well. How great that moms are loved so much, and credited with so much, that they get the first shout-out.

Mom. The first to take care of me, the first to teach me how to take care of myself, and the first to teach me how to care for others. Also the first to prove how much work it all takes.

Mom was always working. She had a full-time, 9-5 job, and then a part-time job in the evenings or on weekends. And they weren’t careers that she was passionate about, but jobs that benefitted her kids in more ways than just bringing in a paycheck to keep us fed and to put clothes on our backs. She ran a daycare out of our house so she could be home with us, and she worked as a secretary at the Y so we could get free camp enrollment, and she worked at a university to get us discounts on tuition. And despite all the jobs, she was always home in the morning, putting breakfast on the table and getting us on the bus, and then cheering us on from the sidelines, and driving us to and from our extra-curriculars in the afternoons and on weekends. How did she fit everything in? And when did she ever do anything for herself?

Being a mom, myself now, I’ve figured out the answer to those questions. She fit everything in because she was powered by love and sheer will. And what she did for herself was to grow us into capable adults who don’t need her anymore. But that right there is a Catch-22, because, as she told me, “The greatest achievement as a mom is to have kids who grow up and don’t need you anymore, but it’s also the worst thing that can happen to a mom.” So now she has all the time in the world to do what she wants for herself, but I really think she’d rather still be mom-ing us.

But mom, please know, on Mother’s Day and every day, that even though we can figure things out on our own, we still need you. We need to know we can come home, show you all the great things we’ve done, get a hug, and then hear you say “Be careful” as we head back out.

We also need to know we can come home, tell you about all the dumb things we’ve done, still get a hug, and then hear you say “Be careful” as we head back out.

So don’t worry, mom, whether we’re winning or losing, you’ll still get the first shout-out. Thanks for the love.

The Ties That Bind

Jeanna GLeave a comment

I went to the Pickle Festival in Mt. Olive, NC today. It was good old-fashioned fun, complete with a car show, funnel cakes, kiddie rides, a petting zoo, live music, and a pickle eating contest. There were tons of people there, which was great to see, and something I haven’t been a part of for a few years.

There were two main strips of vendor tents and food trucks that ran along either side of train tracks. Rather than walking the pace of turtles within the crowds, my friends and I chose to walk down the middle of the tracks. Walking down railroad ties always reminds me of two things: 1) the movie Stand by Me (and if you’ve seen it, you know why), and 2) my dear friend, Lori.

My family members who immigrated to the US settled in Centre County, Pennsylvania. Growing up, we drove out from Connecticut for the family reunion just about every July. We always stayed at Twila’s (my first cousin once removed) duplex. In the home upstairs lived a girl my age who became my pen pal after we met the summer before 5th grade. We kept in touch all year, and then hung out just about the whole time I was in PA, year after year. We always had so much to talk about. So much so, that one day we got to walking and talking, ended up on a train track, and kept going until we finally realized we might have been gone long enough to get in trouble.

I remember we drew train tracks on our letters to each other a few times after that. There’s something so comforting in being able to walk alongside and talk with someone, for however long, about anything. Lori and I took the time to open up to and listen to each other, and it laid the foundation for a lifelong friendship. I was her Maid of Honor, and attended her baby showers. We still send birthday and holiday cards to each other. Our letters have shortened to texts and checking in on social media, but we’re in touch. After 30-something years, it’s safe to say those ties will continue to the horizon. Blest be the ties that bind.

Sticking to the Plan

Jeanna GLeave a comment

Today is the two-year anniversary of my first blog post. I have enjoyed this more than I thought I would. I wrote more frequently when I first started, but that was during quarantine, so I can’t beat myself up too much about having less time to sit and write these days. Actually, I’ve enjoyed this so much, that I wish I could write for a living. But I digress.

On my blogiversary, I think it’s important to reflect and consider if I’ve been sticking to the original plan. In the beginning, I started the blog as a way to earn digital literacy credits to apply to my teaching license. I could have written about anything, but I figured I should write about something that I know a lot about, and could continue to write about in perpetuity. Well, I know a lot about myself. But I don’t think people want to read about me just for the sake of learning about me. So I asked myself how writing about myself could be beneficial to others. And that is when the plan began to take shape.

Not to brag, but I think I had a pretty great childhood. As a teacher (and a kind, idealistic human being), I think every person deserves to have a great childhood. But not everyone does. And that makes me very sad. So I thought, if I could share how I was able to enjoy my childhood, others could use that information to create the childhood they never had. Picture Phoebe on Friends. She did not have a great childhood, so she spent some time trying to experience what she thought she missed out on, like learning to ride a bike, and taking classes. She got these ideas by listening to others share their experiences.

And if readers also had a great childhood, then maybe they could just read my stories to reminisce and stir up happiness. An unexpected benefit of my blog is that writing has helped me to stir up happiness. Spending time thinking about things that made me happy at one point in my life has helped me to remember what I truly love, and who I really am. It’s surprising to find how far off course we can get in a life filled with detours and roadside attractions.

Either way, I think I’ve been sticking to the plan, and I hope it’s helped someone in some way. I don’t write to have a profound impact or to be the end-all solution to disappointing childhoods, but if I can put a smile on a few faces, then I think it’s worth going on Juvenescent Junkets for another year, and beyond.