by Meagan Francis on October 16, 2012
I love order. Something about having everything tidy and in its place gives me a sense of calm and peace, and actually makes me more functional.
But.
Living in a house with 7 people, it’s impossible to completely control the flow of “stuff” around our house. Dishes end up in the wrong cupboard. Toothbrushes idle on the sink. A sock may wind up balled up in a shoe, where it will be temporarily separated from its partner.
It’s those pesky transient socks that are the topic of my latest post for Babble, in which I embrace a new – and rather unfashionable – philosophy: Clutter is Life. [click to continue…]
by Meagan Francis on March 7, 2012
I’ve been thinking all day about a blog post written by my friend Kyran Pittman, an amazing writer, memoirist and mother of three. In the post Kyran explores the idea of what keeps us going as we age, as the people we have loved and lived for – both our children and others – grow up and go away, get old and die. Kyran asks: What abides?
My children feel like my passion and my purpose, but their childhood will pass, and is passing, like all things. My husband is the love of my life, but our eventual parting is written into our marriage vows. What will one or the other of us live for, then?
…
There’s truth and wisdom in the refrigerator magnet maxim that what might be remembered 100 years from now is making a difference today in the life of the child. But I think it sometimes gets misused as a license to bury our gifts. To keep from making something that is truly our own. Maybe the difference we make in the life of a child is one made by example and inspiration as well as a nurturing presence. Perhaps our own lives can be object lessons in how to stay full, whatever hardships may–and will–come our way.
While reading Kyran’s words I found myself nodding in agreement while also feeling a little bit “busted”. [click to continue…]
