sixteen

Shawnie it's hard to believe that you are getting to be such a huge teenager, towering over us all! Where did that little kid go?

I love making you meals and seeing you enjoy them, our drives to gymnastics, listing to your music in the car, watching you do amazing things on floor, watching Avatar: The Last Airbender (for the third time, lol), swimming in the pool, playing catch in the park and street pickleball, going to the beach, seeing you do trapeze, listening to you drum, and watching movies with you and dad. I love seeing you laugh with Sky and seeing your sweet smile. I love that you teach me the lit words to say and explain computers and memes to me. I am not sure where I would be with modern technology without you helping me.

We may have our disagreements (what teens don't argue with parents?) but I want you to remember how much I love you. I am so lucky God gave me a son, I am so glad it is you.

Love,
Mom

reunited

Recently I jumped on a plane to see Annabel in California. We stayed at Amma's ashram. We had fun cooking, shopping and visiting friends around the Bay Area. I sure do love my girl.

beach yoga

We've got a quieter house now, with two kids out of the nest. It's just Shawn home now. The youngest boy who is the tallest family member.  He's driving now. Doing well in school. Enjoys watching movies with me and Gary. Pulling off complicated tumbling tricks in his gymnastics class. He loves to push himself. I was the same way. Ahh, youth.

swami's winter visit

When Swami came to the islands this year I got a respite for a week. At the last minute I decided to travel with a small group to two neighboring islands for his public programs. I helped with the bookstore, enjoyed good food and inspiring talks, took a nice walk, spent time with great friends and got to see my Sky. It was a really nice few days.

christmas 2018

I sure do love these monkeys.

for my children~stepping in

Hi kiddos.

Two of you are now living out of the house part of the time. Hard to believe this time has come. But it has.

You are all growing up. You are all learning so much about life and yourselves. You are meeting lots of new people, and having new experiences.

As you go through life, remember, everything happens at the right time. It's not always exactly as we wish or think it should happen. But life is unfolding. The seed has to be under the ground for some time before it becomes a flower.

Try not to worry too much about figuring it all out, in terms of education and career path. Just follow your passions and interests and trust they will take you to the right places.  Seek positive mentors.

You are all strong, capable, intelligent young people. You all have unique strengths and huge hearts. I am most proud of the kindness you have all shown over the years. It is a strength like no other.

Strong.
Smart.
Kind.

Those three words you all grew up hearing from Dad. It's important to have a balance of them all. You have all developed these qualities in spades!

And remember, step into your unique brilliance. No one else can do it for you. Shine on my sweet children. I love you all!

summer 2018 part two

After our Europe trip we met up with Annabel in Toronto where she had been on tour with Amma. We took the girls to stay in my home town and got to spend some quality time with my parents, including my birthday. Gary went to pick up Shawn from five weeks of summer camp where he had a blast. On the way home we stopped off in California and got to see old friends.

europe 2018

This summer Gary and I visited Europe again. We spent time in three countries. We started off in London just for a couple days. Then we went to Italy and stayed in Peschici, drove through a national forest up a mountain to Monte Sant' Angelo, and ended our time staying in a medieval manor estate/hotel in Fasano. Then we flew to Paris and stayed there a few days before returning to Toronto.

Highlights of our trip included the easy trip from the Scranton airport with absolutely no one in the security line, laughing and driving through the night to catch our flight to London from Boston, meals at the Landmark in London, hearing the ocean at night at Hotel Marcavallo, the quirky front desk guy who kept saying "cool-a," being served a lovely pasta meal by a mother-daughter team at a tiny restaurant a walk from our hotel, driving through the incredible forest, people thinking we were French, finding homemade breadsticks in a tiny Italian town, the amazing hotel in Fasano - Masserina Salamina, meals at this hotel and picnics on the deck, meeting all sorts of nice people including a family from the US, falafels at Le Marias in Paris, seeing the Eiffel Tower, finding one of our favorite restaurants in Paris, Rue Cler dinners, meeting our "adopted" son in the airport - we helped him fly to Toronto from Paris. And of course, gelato.