As many of us, this is the time when I become most reflective of those people and circumstances in my life for whom I am most thankful.

 

My best friend who also happens to be my husband. Who makes me smile, keeps my heart aflutter, reminds me to breathe, indulges my whims, and is the reason that I'm thankful every day that 15 years ago I bought that computer loaded with eWorld even though I couldn't really afford it at the time. The wealth gained from that single purchase can never be measured in currency.

 

A son who every single day fills my life with laughter and love. I am speechless by his wit and wisdom, and in awe of his passion, determination, and compassion. His love for living, his thirst for knowledge, and his complete acceptance of everyone and everything for who and what they are is inspirational. He's matter of fact and imaginative all at the same time, and I'm so very proud to be his Mom.

 

Family. Those you are tied to by DNA or marriage, and those whom you just wish you were, or may as well be for all the connections you share. The ones that are close by, the ones that are too far away. Those you've known your whole life, and those you've never met but feel a strong bond with anyway. Those who are no longer with us, and those who are yet to come.

 

Friends. The ones who we connect with every day, and the ones who pass in and out of our days, only brief touchpoints in an all too busy life. Those who are close enough to know our deepest and darkest secrets, and those who only think they know us on the surface. Those who remind us 25 years later that deep inside we will always be 17, carefree, hopeful, and filled with dreams, even though our bodies march on through time. Girlfriends, boyfriends, friends in life, and friends in death.

 

Working in a unique and ever changing field that at the core is about connecting people to one another. And while that has so many applications to business, marketing, sales...regardless of the reason for providing a venue to bring people together, will absolutely and definitely touch the lives of those who use the products and services we provide. Directly, indirectly, and in more ways than we (or our clients) will ever be able to fully measure. 

 

And to do this job with a group of people who are so willing to stretch their knowledge and learning, who are so dedicated to the clients we serve, and to one another, and who truly care for each other in a family like manner.

 

There is something uniquely special about the community of people that surround me. I feel quite blessed to be a part of the circle, and for all the experiences that we have, that we are able to share them together.

On this week of remembrance, reflection, and thanks, I wish you all a festive holiday filled with good fun, good food, and good company. Enjoy every moment!

Tomorrow as I raise a toast in thanks, for those here today, for those no longer here, my innermost thoughts will ponder everything the future holds. I'll imagine my glass clinking together with your own.

 

My son calls it... "Air Cheers"...when you can't quite reach across the table to physically touch the glasses together, but the symbolism of doing so still counts.

So Air Cheers to each of you, and a very Happy Thanksgiving!

 

 

I am a firm believer, that being absolutely honest with your kids is the best thing to do, at least for the really important questions (within age appropriate parameters of course).

I also believe that the "innocent magic" that is childhood, which already disappears too quickly, would be gone in a single breath if we didn't allow ourselves a few "dishonest" moments with our children, in which we don't have to outright "lie" to them, but withholding some key pieces of information can serve the greater good, and that brief and precious stage of childhood magic can live on for a few more hours...days...months...even years.

My son lost his 4th tooth today. He was preparing the tiny white sacrifice of his youth for the "Bringer of Small Change and/or Bills". Tonight (as he was writing a very detailed letter to the Tooth Fairy, complete with gifts (A "Knock Knock Joke" he made up (i.e. it makes sense only to him) and "Medallion Prize" (made with paper, crayons, and scissors of course)), he asked if she was teeny tiny or real person sized".

Given the fact the tooth has fallen out on a day when I have not a single dime of spare cash lingering in the bottom of my purse, I admit I had a momentary flash of brilliance that included thinking that I should tell him there was no such thing as the Tooth Fairy and give him an IOU on the loot. (I'll save for another blog post that he knows what an IOU is because he operates the loan bailout program in this house and I'm currently in debt $40 bucks to his Lightening McQueen wallet).

Fortunately I delegated the task of finding cash before morning to the loan shark's Dad, and decided to preserve the innocence for awhile longer.

"I'd like to think she's teeny tiny", I said (not technically a lie).

"Did you know Nicolas' Dad is also a Tooth Fairy?", came the reply. "And Madelynne's Mom?"

"Really?...I had no idea...Maybe I can get a job like that someday too.", was my reply. (also, not technically a lie).

And that was that. No more questions about it, or discussion. I was prepared to wiggle my way around the topic the way he'd wiggled that tooth around the now empty space in his mouth. He happily went on his way making gifts, writing materials for his monologue, and trying to predict how many days before he can extract the last remaining wiggly front tooth from it's not so secure location.

As the evening went on, he wanted to know if I had lost any teeth when I was little. How old I was when it happened? What did the Tooth Fairy bring me again (.41 cents FYI...one of each, quarter, dime, nickel, penny). I thought I'd be smart and show him some old photos, complete with missing teeth.

I dragged out an old album, which had a wide range of photos from my side of the family, and we went through dozens of photos, from all stages and ages of my own life and those of my parents/ grandparents/ aunts/ uncles/ siblings/ cousins/etc. lives. He soon lost interest in the teeth related photos, and asked many questions about different people, places, and scenes from the pictures.

Coming across one photo of me from the late 80's, he says, "Mommy, you look so nice". "How old were you?".

"About 22", I reply. (total honesty)

"Were you married?", he asks. I immediately reply with "yes", knowing full well in my head that while it wasn't a lie...I was married, but that it was my previous life...the one that I had before I became divorced, and married the wonderful man who was to become his father.

Without missing one beat he comes back with, "But you were in your thirties when you married Daddy."

It's at this point where the expression on my face becomes frozen in some painful configuration that I'm sure will leave "worry lines", and the explosion of things going on inside my head starts to resemble the early signs of a stroke or seizure. Who the heck ever wanted a smarty pants kid?!?! I can't remember what I had for breakfast today, but he can remember some random statement of fact that we might have told him during some past conversation. AND WHO THE HECK TAUGHT HIM TO KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN HIS TWENTIES AND THIRTIES...HE'S FIVE!!!!!

Don't get me wrong. I don't have a problem at all with my son knowing that I was married before, or that sometimes marriages don't work out, or that sometimes young people make big life decisions too early and without fully thinking out the long term road map. I just didn't expect to be dealing with it when he's FIVE.

I decide on the spot that I'm not going to lie to him, nor stretch the truth, nor will I phrase the answer to give the illusion of another reality. I'll answer whatever he asks, just like I always said I'd do, and as I've always done (well, about the important stuff).

So I tell him that he's right. I was in my thirties when I married Daddy.

"You were married before"?, he asks.

"Yep" (I'm keeping it extra simple now on the replies...should have thought of THAT sooner).

"What was his name?", he wants to know.

"Dan".

He states the scenario as he understands it back to me, "You were married to someone named Dan when you were in your twenties".

"Yep", I confirm.

He hugs me while adding, "But you didn't have any kids because you were waiting for me to be here?" (WOW...this topic might just need it's own post too).

"That's right" I tell him as I hug him back.

He goes back to flipping through the photos, looks the picture of me one more time, closes the book, and inquires, "Did you tell Daddy?"

"Absolutely!", I exclaim. "Daddy knows".

"Did you tell him the day you got married or before?"

So honesty is the best policy. I haven't changed my mind on that. But it amazes me that this child...my BABY...the one who believes in Tooth Fairies, Easter Bunny, Santa, and Daddy Magic...the one who thinks his class almost caught a leprechaun on St. Patrick's Day... can at the same time believe in all the magical wonders of childhood, can have such clarity, such depth, and understanding about so many non childish things.

Trying to keep a straight face, I let him know that I told Daddy before the day we got married, which he seemed to approve of by a nodding of his head. And with the same look he gave me when I swore I was going to repay the $40 bucks, he asks...

"Are you sure Daddy knows?"

Start Blogging... Right up there on my list with...

-Eat Healthier
-Walk Daily
-Get More Sleep
-Read More (professionally and personally)
-Create scrapbook of baby's first year (he's nearly 5 now)
-Pamper myself more (can you say mani/pedi?)

Like most of the items on that list. Starting a recurring blog has been like a bad New Year's Resolution that I know for sure I'm never going to keep, but feel compelled to keep making the promise anyway.

The funny thing is that this is actually something I can get into. Those who know me know that I don't lack for things to talk about, or lack opinions on those subjects. The concept of being able to ramble away, on my own schedule, and not having to sacrifice family time to do it...pretty darned appealing!

While I've dabbled here and there throughout the web, learning and trying out the many applications that dominate the social media space, I've not taken the time to develop my own voice in this space, and I'm determined to change that.

On the professional front, I'm always interested in pondering/strategizing how to help our clients maximize their social audience, meet their goals, and build their brands via this kind of dialogue. Both internally and externally, my role at LiveWorld allows me to work with an amazing array of people who challenge and inspire me on a daily basis.

My personal soapbox issues de jour include the following...

-Early Childhood Education
-Parenting topics in general
-Balance of Life/Work (not so good at this one)
-Finding Healthy, eat-at-home family dinner solutions
(that can appease a moderately fussy 4.5 year old and his much fussier blahblah year old father).

It could get interesting. It will definitely be a learning experience, and at the end of the day that in itself is always a good thing.

Curiosity, Wonder, Passion, Determination, and Laughter

My son (25 months) exhibits these amazing states of being on a daily basis. He loves and embraces nearly everything about his world. He's compassionate, and sensitive, and eager to learn. His constant desire for words, music, and language, and the skills he's gaining with all three surpasses even my highest expectations. I'm in awe of this little person who has captured every string on my heart, who I can't seem to spend enough time with, who I worry about at a level I never thought possible, and who inspires me to new heights.