Oh The Places I'll Go....

Though I am a woman –
I am smarter than you give me credit for.
I read, I write and I listen.
I observe and contemplate.
I research and dig for truth.
I am opinionated and bold.
I am informed.
I am aware.
Though I am a woman.

Though I am thin –
I am obsessed with my body.
I study myself and critique my imperfections.
I wonder if I’ll ever be satisfied.
I hide myself in baggy clothes that feel safe.
I obsess with what I have and haven’t eaten.
I can never run or work-out enough.
I fight the demons in my mind and memory.
I wish my body were different.
I wish I were stronger.
I wish I could find peace.
Though I am thin.

Though I am a mother –
I have a mind that is engaged.
I see a world beyond my four walls.
I am made up of layers that you have never seen.
I hold onto dreams that are not fulfilled.
I want to believe in my value and worth.
I work hard and am creative.
I know I am often wrong.
I fear I am failing.
I fear I am not enough.
I fear the future.
Though I am a mother.

Though I follow God –
I am not a right-wing fundamentalist.
I can see the world through someone elses eyes.
I don’t always know what I believe.
I have ideas that don’t always fit.
I color outside the lines.
I believe that faith can exist outside the church.
I respect the thoughts of others.
I want to live like Jesus.
I think that doubt is not the enemy.
I embrace ritual, tradition, and story.
I choose to love my neighbor.
I choose to keep walking.
I choose to have hope.
As I follow God.

This amazing poem was written by a lady named Karla for a lady named Joyce. It was written perhaps to cheer up the lady named Joyce, but what, in fact, it did was forced a lady named Sherri, that's moi, to reflect on the bigger picture of what it is to be a Mom.
The facets of every woman's lives are immeasurable and each one has its merit. Throughout my life I have taken different roles, some by choice, others by chance, and I want to think that I am handling them all the best I can. With each role comes responsibility and commitment, expectation and opinion, from myself, those I love and those I haven't come to know.

Parenting is a priority... and how could it not. I adore that I have been blessed with great, healthy kids. They are my everything. I will be the first to admit that my role as a Mom has really overshadowed my thoughts about how my other roles work into the equation. Being a stay-at-home Mom hasn't got me engaged in corporate public relations or coffee break chats. I miss being an employee with non- child related responsibilities, 40 hour a week schedules and deadlines that have you working in your sleep. I remember being a dedicated employee, I had good work ethic, I was great to work for and with, and I paid attention to detail( I am a Virgo after all). Sometimes it feels like something is missing.

As I am writing this I see that perhaps not a lot has changed. I still possess these magnificent qualities... I have had to adapt them to being at home with my kids however. And I won't be home forever. As soon as Tao is in school I'll be looking for work!! Oh the places I'll go.....
I am a woman. I have multiple roles that don't define me. I am valued in each role but my value as a woman doesn't change as my roles change. This poem isn't strictly about motherhood but for me... this is the place that I am concentrated right now.


Nice.... isn't it. What does it do for you?

Apac School in Uganda

We are so thrilled to be sponsoring a little girl named Sydla Agono in Uganda( she is the cutie in the pink shirt). Now she will have the opportunity to go to school, own some supplies for school and a uniform to wear. She is 5 years old and lives with her hard working mother and 4 siblings. Her mom works in a stone quarry but cannot afford to put all of her children in school. She appears to be the youngest of her siblings so I can't wait to hear how happy her family will be for her. I wonder if the older kids have gone to school.

This is the best $35 I have ever spent!!! Sydla will get to go to school for a year on only $35. I bet if every person skipped the McDonald's drive-thru and sponsored one child for a year on the $35 that they would spend getting clotted arteries..... the Apac and CU Schools would be packed.

If you are reading this and are just a tiny bit curious about the Christian Upliftment School in Kampala, Uganda you can check our the website:

http://www.christianupliftmentschool.com/index

The Apac School is a sister school that has been built in the village Apac, just north of Kampala, and they are adding classrooms as funds permit. Their website is:

http://www.apacschool.com/

So we have made some school and hygiene kits and I inquired as to where I should send these and the Coordinator for Canada lives in Montreal and is traveling to Uganda in July and has offered to take them with us. BONUS!!! Now I know that they will actually make it there and Kate is going to take photos and video of Sydla when she receives our gifts and letters!! I can't wait!!!

My 80 year old self

"My back is pooched" I hear my four year old holler from the bedroom. I wonder where he got that from??? Yes that has sneaked out of my mouth a few time in the last oohh, say seven years or so.
Pregnancy did a number on my low back and pelvis, particularly the last pregnancy with Tao. I had to wear a wide strap around my pelvis just to keep it from splitting apart. Anyhow... the decision to not have any more children seemed like a logical choice. So I have been going to gym for nearly two months now under the direction of my chiropractor and exercise therapist. I figured that losing a good 10-15 pounds would do the trick but I am sort of thinkin' that it is going to take some more fine tuning. My back really never feels 'great'. I have trouble lifting my kids, esp. Tao on and off the potty 37 times a day.... and a roaster out of the oven for that matter.

So I have been taking Tao( and sometimes Manny) to the gym in the mornings and they visit the daycare, which we refer to as 'playschool'. Tao is absolutely in love with the place and talks about going just about every minute that she isn't actually there. I think I am liking that part the best. I feel really good about leaving her with the great women who run the place and get a good workout in at the same time. My back is feeling a bit better though I think I have a ways to go. In the meantime I think I'm going to shop online for a nice solid cane!!