Our Tales of Two Cities: A Smile Goes A Long Way...

I wasn't sure about blogging after the shooting in Newtown, because everything seems frivolous in comparison to what all the families in that town are going through right now. There's also some times in life, when you can't find the right words...but like Casey, I've been thinking about it all the time.

Being a parent now makes me so anxious for the future of our children and what kind of school environment we send them into. I'm not sure how any parent finds the balance of raising independent, self-reliant, intelligent children without the strong sense of fear that something might happen while they are out of your care. You cannot shelter your children, but that's all you want to do....Obama said something this week that was perfectly put....

"Someone once described the joy and anxiety of parenthood as the equivalent of having your heart outside of your body all the time, walking around. With their very first cry, this most precious, vital part of ourselves - our child - is suddenly exposed to the world, to possible mishap or malice. And every parent knows there is nothing we will not do to shield our children from harm. And yet, we also know that with that child’s very first step, and each step after that, they are separating from us; that we won’t - that we can’t always be there for them. They’ll suffer sickness and setbacks and broken hearts and disappointments. And we learn that our most important job is to give them what they need to become self-reliant and capable and resilient, ready to face the world without fear."

While our nation mourns the loved ones lost and families cope with young children who have been traumatized...our nation also contemplates issues that need awareness and change: mental illness care and guns/society of violence. We see this as a time for change in the mindset of Americans on all sides of this issue...a time for compassion and a time for compromise for the safety of everyone.

As I have stayed up too late thinking about the shooting, praying for the families, and reading the news on my iphone....I am trying to remember to enjoy the little things in life. The small, simple life pleasures that make us all smile. I am going to try harder to make others smile too.

Things that have made me smile and laugh this week:

woman at the post office talking to me about her 20 year old daughter coming home from Harvard
people holding the door for one another
little boy singing jingle bells on the front step of his house and waving as I walk by with the dog
cole eating at least 15 pistachios with the shells on
my friend's twins turning 1 and figuring out how to eat cake for the first time

I want to make you smile and maybe even laugh...so here are our holiday card photo shoot outtakes. We got some really funny shots in the process...enjoy and be kind to one another :)