T stands for Pep Talk

 I love to read our local paper. I don't read it so much for what's going on in the world - I have the New York Times and the German news for that - but I like to know what's happening in my town and area. Usually, reading the paper is not exactly a pleasure. Most news are rather somber. However, every now and then, our paper holds a real gem, and I was very happy to find one of those last Friday.

Journalist Kerry Benefield loves to shine a spotlight on local people, events and happenings. This time she wrote about a very special hotline where children offer a pep talk to anyone who needs one. 

Yes, I dialed the number. It took several times to finally get through because the line was constantly busy. Obviously a lot of people need a pep talk. I got a ton of great advice - "be yourself", "jump on the trampoline", "it's okay to be different", "ice cream makes everything better", "take three deep breaths", "you are okay", "be nice" and "you are okay for who you are". They also told me that I am loved and I also chose the option to hear kindergartners laughing. I'm so glad I did, it was so refreshing.

We all need a pep talk from time to time, but if it's elementary school kids it's even better. These are kids from West Side Elementary School in Healdsburg, a small town a few miles North from here in the heart of wine country. It evolved from a project that Jessica Martin, the lead teaching artist at the school started together with guest artist Asherah Weiss, "that would allow kids to dole out advice and hopeful thoughts in these trying times". They started out with paper flyers that were distributed around the town with messages of encouragement and resilience. Every student made a flyer of their own. From here, they thought about ways how to connect with even more people and the idea of the hotline was born.  About 80 kids were willing to record their own voice and the teacher recorded them with her phone. Talk about low-tech - and fantastic results. Since the hotline launched, it has been busy - the demand for pep talk is high. So high indeed, that a sixth option has been added to donate to keep the hotline going.

Want to try it? Just dial 707-998-8410 and enjoy.

Among all the horrible news from Ukraine, this was like a breeze of fresh air.

Since this is for the T gang, here is my drink - I usually drink my coffee while reading the paper. You can probably guess where I got this mug. Thank you to Elizabeth for giving us the opportunity to connect.

Before I go I want to share an image of an uninvited dinner guest who recently ate the cat food. The reason for the cat food being outside will be explained in a later post, but I can assure you that both cats weren't happy, but thankfully left the raccoon alone. The little joys when your neighbors' cats take up residence in your garden... (and just to let you know, I usually don't feed other people's cats, but in this case I was explicitly asked to do it - but more about that later).

What Motherhood Means To Me

It's Mother's Day in most countries this Sunday. That's when we celebrate our mothers, make breakfast for them, give them flowers, perhaps some little handmade gifts, invite them to dinner in a fancy restaurant. Hopefully it's a day for mothers to take a breath, to slow down.

After that it's back to normal, to the usual busy life of an average mom - here and everywhere. This is when I take a moment to contemplate what motherhood means, what it means to me.

None of us is born as a mother. We grow into this role, just as our belly grows with the baby inside. Or with the hopes and dreams when you wait for the child you are going to adopt.

I remember the overwhelming joy when my daughter was born, when I first held her in my arms. It still is a miracle to me, it still holds all the wonder for me, just like that very first day. This was the day when an invisible bond was created between my daughter and myself; it was also the first day when a steady worry started to be my constant companion, the worry for my child.

No one prepares you for this worry. Yet, it belongs to motherhood (or parenthood) and it is not going to go away - ever. A little cough lets you see your child coming down with pneumonia, ending in intensive care. When s/he just starts to walk, every little obstacle is a potential barrier that will let you child fall, hurt, and you see the scenarios before your inner eye, the ambulance with its loud siren, racing to the nearest hospital. Catastrophes lurk at every corner. Every stranger is a potential kidnapper.

It's difficult to find a balance.

Yet there is also the joy, the moments when arms are wrapped around your neck and your face is covered with wet little kisses and a "I love you, Mommy". It makes you so happy you want to cry (sometimes you actually do). These moments become rarer the older your child gets - and then they really make you cry.

There are the wonderful moments that make it into the scrapbooks - birthdays, play times, the first steps, starting kindergarten. The giggles and the laughter. Later you wonder where that bubbly little kid went to when you have a moody teenager somewhere hiding in the house, not talking to you.

It's moment like those where you love your children with an aching heart.

Your own heart breaks a bit when their heart is broken. When the "best" friend ditches your child. When the cat dies that your child loves with all her little heart. When she reads books and identifies with the characters in such a way that she cries when something bad happens to them.

It's a new challenge at every turn.

For me motherhood also means to introduce your child to the wonders of nature. To make them aware of environmental challenges, to share responsibilities like leaving a clean campsite, no littering, not disturbing animals and respecting wildlife in general.

I am responsible for my child growing up into a compassionate, confident adult. I hope I can help her in having a healthy self-esteem. To be responsible with our planet and other people. It is my responsibility to give her the tools that she will need to lead an independent life, make good choices for her future - and then let her go. Bittersweet as it is.

Never forget the fun, though. My daughter and I laugh together a lot. We often share the same music, watch the same movies, read the same books. I have always loved to read the books she read (even though that means I probably have to read "Divergent"). We both share a passion for "Lord of the Rings" and "Downton Abbey" (yes, you can say this in the same sentence).

We both were Girl Scouts together. She as a Brownie and a Junior, I as a "cookie mom" and a troop leader.

We travel a lot with our daughter. I believe it opens the mind, makes you tolerant to other cultures and is just plain interesting to get out of your comfort zone and see and experience something different. I hope I have instilled the travel bug in her, the way it has been instilled in me by my parents.

But above all - there is love. Always and forever. 

Getting Our Pumpkins

One of the October traditions we have adopted since living in the States is a visit to the pumpkin patch. I had thought that Kaefer might be a bit too old for that, but no - she came with us and had a wonderful time at the dairy farm that we discovered this fall, being like a little kid again.

It was a very low key pumpkin patch compared to some others which offer a wide variety of activities to families. This one had a few animals (goats and cows) that you could visit and pet, a jumpy house and a "sandbox" filled with organic wheat which seemed to be the biggest attraction. Beside the field of pumpkins of course.

This pumpkin patch was also different since it not only offered the typical jack-o-lantern pumpkins, but all kinds of different pumpkins as well. They were grown right there and most of them were still on the vine.

 One "thing" I always love at a pumpkin patch - beside my favorite color - is watching the kids. These little girls were adorable while they ran through the field, looking for the perfect pumpkin.

This toddler was irresistibly cute!!

And as you can see, this includes my own "little" girl.

Did I mention that she was like a little kid again?

Posing as the Pumpkin Lady Liberty

What about you? Do you visit a pumpkin patch in October?

I am linking up to Mandarin Orange Monday.