Wildflower Writes

Photo by  Vicky Ng  on  Unsplash I love bread. Since spending more time at home due to COVID restrictions, my mom has been turning out all kinds of wonderful creations- rye bread and potato bread and some kind of Cajun bread with coconut milk. I never visit her house without a slice of homemade bread. This is partially because she needs someone to eat the bread before it goes stale. There’s a limited shelf life on home-baked goods. Bread is best when perfectly and freshly baked. Living in the moment is like indulging in that warm slice of fresh-baked bread. It’s crackly on the outside and soft and chewy in the middle. Unfortunately, we spend way too much time focusing on the past- stale, moldy bread, or bread that’s been eaten and digested. It offers no nutrition in the present. Or we focus on the future, bread that’s still a batch of dough rising in a bowl. We don’t know what it will turn it out to be, and it’s not fit to eat right now.     The gift we ...

Photo by  Isaac Quesada  on  Unsplash Today I attended a feedback session for a friend who is developing her website and online presence. It was really a great gathering of women from a variety of backgrounds, life stages, and media expertise. The exchange was invigorating and inspiring. One of the most fascinating aspects of the gathering was hostess’s obliviousness to the fact that her homemade box lunches, coffee station, and sparkling drinks on ice demonstrated a gift for hospitality that left the rest of us amazed if not a bit envious. To her, it was just another fun idea to share with friends. It was only recently that I heard that one way to determine your unique gifts is to pay attention when something comes easy for you that doesn’t come easy for everyone. We sometimes take our abilities and passions for granted. Not everyone sees things the way you do. Not everyone can fix a car, create a website, balance a spreadsheet, or harmonize at will. God gave each of...

I didn't really realize the need for peace until I became a parent. The anxiety that accompanies that first bundle of joy can be overwhelming- Is she safe? Is she warm enough? Did she get enough to eat? What is wrong why is she crying I must be a terrible parent she won't ever stop crying! Peace is not only the opposite of anxiety, but it is also the opposite of conflict. If you paid attention in high school English classes, there's seven types of conflict: person vs. self, person vs. person, person vs. supernatural, person vs. nature, person vs. society, person vs. technology, person vs. unknown. That's a lot of potential for fear, pain, anger, and confusion. Which means peace, a simple construct, is often hard to come by. How do you be at peace with yourself, if you're not even sure you like yourself? How do you stay at peace with others, who can be anything from irritating to abusive? How can you know peace when there is so much injustice and destruction in...

Today was the last day of school for my kids. They’ve just finished 2nd grade and kindergarten, respectively. My husband was reminding me of their first day, just over nine months ago. It was supposed to be some big emotional moment, with my youngest child starting school. I was too proud to be sad. He was so excited to get on the big yellow bus with his big sister. I was so nervous I was calling the bus garage when there was no bus after 15 minutes of waiting. I think he’s grown so much in that one school year. He seems older, anyway. He can read now. He wants to be a scientist. He brought home an old phone they had taken apart in class. He writes and illustrates his own stories. The thumb habit is nearly history. He’s an official first grader. My daughter has grown, too. I’m only a head taller than her now, and I had a dream that she was asking to wear my shoes. She is constantly thinking of new schemes and projects for her and her brother to do. She also likes to mak...