I'm picking up my mom for the weekend. Her presence here changes our routines in a variety of ways. For Jonathan, it means giving up his downstairs bedroom, because she has trouble getting up stairs (he's ok with that). For Eric, it means sharing my attention and practicing his college Spanish (which is really pretty great). Her visits ...
“Ju got some ‘splaining to do..”
Lucy's piano teacher is trying to keep her challenged. He has started her on Beethoven and I love to listen to her trying new things each Wednesday when he comes over for her lesson. Imagine my surprise when, after playing "Fur Elise," about 20 times, I hear the familiar opening notes of... THE CUBAN NATIONAL ANTHEM!! "What? How? ...
True Confessions
I have moments when I feel superior. It's true. I confess. I had one of those yesterday. Before I make my confession, I have to add this: it doesn't take much for me to feel superior. Now here's the caveat - I feel superior only to myself. (ha!) It takes very little for me to exceed my own expectations. I love the feeling. I then begin to ...
The Enabler.
Hello, my name is Marta, and I'm an Enabler. ("Hi, Marta.") I would have denied it, but the proof is overwhelming. Oh, I come by it honestly. My family is quite extensive and full of enablers. I am surrounded by people who do things because of my personal influence. And possibly they resent it, but I'm not ...
A Wrinkle in Time
(with apologies to Madeleine L'Engle) It's funny how the most unrelated moments kick your memory into gear. In this case, it was something Daisy said. She is my niece's daughter, which makes me her Great Aunt. (I just like how that sounds - Great Aunt Marta) Daisy and Jonathan play together every week. They play dress up and Legos and ...
Smart Cubans
This was on my desk this morning. Eric found it last night. (It used to reside on the back of my old Toyota Corolla. ) Last night Amy, Adam and I went to see a play called 'Sonia Flew' at the Laguna Playhouse. It was a complex story of a young man wanting to go to war shortly after 9/11. His mother, Sonia had been sent to America after the ...
Embracing imperfection
I consider myself a pretty contented person. I love my family, our home, our lifestyle. Eric and I have a strong marriage. I think I have a good eye for decorating. I think we did well when we painted and hung pictures. I am pleased with our red leather sofa & chairs. The outer trappings of my life look ok. The ...
What about socialization?
They are upstairs rehearsing for their drama musical. Their voices are strong and sweet. I can barely contain the emotion as I listen. It's not just the music or even the words. It's that the girls who own the voices are genuinely sweet. They are all homeschooled and they are smart and lovely, and they fill me with ...
Sharing…
I have been sharing with Pam since 1975. We have shared meals, good and bad times, J.R.R. Tolkien and passions... in other words, we have shared LIFE. She & her husband, Gene, shared the gospel with me in 1979, which resulted in my life-changing relationship with Jesus Christ. All this sharing has impacted both of our lives ...
After all these years….
My friends all seem to be turning 50. When I say "my friends," I am usually referring to people I have known for decades. I have lots of other friends and I know people who are other ages besides 50. But the ones who are turning 50 lately, are the ones with whom I celebrated other milestone birthdays. Maybe ...
