Tag: family

motherhood

#857 (I’m So Glad)

WFAM

“I am writing for all the mommies out there who are feeling a little lost today, okay a lot lost today…

Let’s not stop the dreaming.

If we can connect to the part of ourselves that is the most vibrant and has the most light to shine, not only will we reap the rewards, our children will catch some of that light and shine on.

Don’t give up who you were before children. Make the most of who you are with children. Find some balance, find some sanity and ask for help.”

The first ever WFAM post 8/12/2009

This is how it all started 856 posts ago. I can’t even believe it. My boys were three and five when this all began. Now, they are fourteen and sixteen.

I have felt this farewell building. My creativity is changing directions. My role as a parent has shifted.

I started this blog to cope. Motherhood and its demands had me overwhelmed and drowning.

This is no longer the case.

I’ve learned to surf. We all have. We ride the currents of change together yet more separate than before.

We are no longer in the same boat. We are in the same fleet, but each boy has begun to chart their own course. Sure, I’m still on hand with sunscreen and life-jackets, but they alone are in charge of their navigation.

They are good, kind, decent humans. I trust them to know where to go from here.

Keaton, you have taught me to always speak the truth, to show up, and keep running even when you lose a shoe in the mud.

J.R., you have taught me being yourself matters the most, never stop learning, and once you find your purpose, follow it with your whole heart.

John, you have shown me love, the greatest kind, the unconditional kind. The kind you find once in a lifetime. Is it no wonder our boys are so awesome given it’s embedded in their DNA.

Writes for all Mommies has been a love letter not only to my family, but to all of you. I hope to continue this connection as I get set to launch my new website and blog.

New logo for dianadevaul.com

At this time, I feel called to explore the wider world not only as a mother, but as a human searching for solace in the ever-shifting landscape of life. My vision is to create a space made for stillness. A place to pause and reflect. Where inner wisdom is cultivated and peace flows. My hope is this peace is carried outward and as a small but mighty collective, we may begin to transform our world by first transforming ourselves.

dianadevaul.com

Please stay tuned, something new and exciting will be coming your way.

May this ending be the beginning of something true and beautiful.

“I’m so glad we had this time together

Just to have a laugh or sing a song

Seems we just get started

and before you know it

Comes the time we have to say

So long

Goodnight!”

(Ear pull)

-From the Carol Burnett Show

dogs, motherhood

Fur-Ever Changed by Love

WFAM

There are stories you never want to write. The ones that become irrevocably true once the ink leaves your pen.

This is one of those stories.

July 9, 2003 – June 4, 2021 (just shy of 18 years old)

Max lived a good life. He walked every day until he couldn’t.

That’s how he told me it was time for him to go.

When Max came into my life I did not understand the magic he would sprinkle over every part of my existence. His devotion to me was unmatched. In his younger years, though already ten when he became our family member, he would wait at the base of the stairs as I ran up and down completing the endless daily tasks of motherhood. Once he felt certain of my location and pause in movement, with Herculean effort he’d heave his stout little body up the stairs to find me and keep watch. I don’t know what exactly he was watching for but it seemed important.

As the center of his universe I did not take this lightly. I gave him as much as he gave me. Until he couldn’t give anymore, and he was tired, and his old body said enough is enough.

From the outside, the story of Max and me seems simple.

Dog meets girl.

Dog devotes life to girl.

Best friends for life.

From the inside the story reaches deeper. Max came into my world with precise timing. I was dealing with the crushing loss of my mom, raising two rambunctious boys, and supporting Mad Dog’s corporate aspirations. I was barely holding myself together and in swooped Max. He did not care how my anxiety sometimes froze me in place. He didn’t mind how I looked, if I showered, and if my writing got published. He didn’t care if my boys were on the honor roll, if I took awesome vacations, or if my house was organized. He taught me that I am enough as is. On the days I didn’t believe him, it did not phase him.

He loved me anyway.

The love he gave me was so perfect and true it has me questioning everything. We are taught by the world we must earn love through striving, pushing ourselves, winning at everything, and looking a certain, standardized way. Even if we somehow achieve this ephemeral perfection, its temporary nature has us immediately turning our attention to the next outside-of-ourselves goal.

I don’t want to live like that. I want to choose goals that speak to my heart. The kind that inspire me and fulfill me as I move through them. I want to cultivate a fluid state of being and allow the process of becoming to light the way. I want passion and purpose to rise up from within and carry me through all the twists and turns of life.

When you love someone, you dress up like an Ewok even though it makes you really, really angry.

Losing Max is a twist I knew was coming, but I wasn’t ready. We are never ready to lose something we love. It rips us apart at the seams and feels overwhelming and irreparable. And yet, underneath the surface of this gaping Ewok-shaped hole, the true-ness within me holds me steady.This is the part of me that Max loved the most.

This is where I will find my joy again.

Above all else, I want to make Max proud.

The best and only way to do this is remember each and every day no matter what, I already have.

motherhood, South Africa

Prince Othawa

WFAM

When you cross paths with a lion, you remember every detail from the angle of the sun as it attempts to glint your fear away, down to the exact shade of red of the pebble-specked earth his paws tread soundlessly upon. Not only was I able to live this experience up close, I was able to share our face-to-face encounter with Prince Othawa, a fierce and looming presence at the heart of Londolozi, on their daily blog.

You can read that story here:

Fulfilling a Life Long Dream

Since our time in South Africa I have followed the safari stories of this otherworldly place with hopeful dedication. These snippets of animal life keep my heart dreaming of our return. The drama of the unfolding power dynamics as the beasts of the wild grasp for dominance easily entertains with all the makings of a soapy, serial drama. Some stories light up my day, like with the birth of a new leopard cub, and some hit me dead-center when a cherished animal does not survive the night. This week when I opened my inbox and saw the tagline of “The Fate of the Othawa Male”, my heart thudded to the floor.

You can read about his final hours by clicking below:

Othawa’s Fate

It feels like I am mourning a friend. The astonishment he provided for Mad Dog and myself cannot be adequately captured with words. Facing him, not even a breath-space away, turned our visceral fear into whole-hearted communion with the present moment. The fragility of life was never more apparent than in that instant.

We control nothing.

Prince Othawa’s fate was sealed the moment he charged into battle, a lone warrior unaware he would be outnumbered. He relied on instinct as he pushed the boundaries of his territory, believing in the power of his singular strength.

One lesson we could take from this is to never go it alone. But, this doesn’t seem exactly right to me. Prince Othawa died as he lived, walking a path that called to him even when the ultimate destination could not be known.

This is how I want to live for the rest of my days. Though they may be numbered, they are bright with possibility.

Like Othawa, I vow to follow the roar of my heart no matter the outcome.

    humor, motherhood

    Who Runs This Town?

    WFAM

    Every week Mad Dog and I get a phone message from the boys’ school principals. Inevitably, valuable information will be disseminated and Mad Dog will then share what is said. Full Speed will hear him but not actually listen. He will be there, physically present, nodding and agreeing, but mentally be somewhere else entirely.

    He does not like to follow up on anything Mad Dog tells him to do.

    Ever.

    Even if the principal left us a message that leftover pots of gold from St. Patrick’s Day were available for pick up at the school office, Full Speed would hear this and then never, ever, ever follow-up. All his school friends could be throwing gold coins around like confetti and he would still never, ever, ever stop by to get his.

    Mad Dog, ever the problem solver, is hopeful to add Full Speed to the principal’s call list. This way at least there is a chance, albeit slight, that Full Speed will do what is asked of him.

    Trust me, the leprechauns aren’t worried.

    Nora also does not like to listen to Mad Dog.

    However, this blatant disregard for his authority

    is rewarded with treats, verbal affirmations, and let’s not forget,…

    unlimited belly rubs.

    She runs this town.

    motherhood

    Turning Point

    WFAM

    Like the seasons, motherhood evolves. Sometimes over days and months, sometimes it takes years. One day you wake up, the sun is shining and you realize everything is different.

    I can’t pinpoint the exact moment everything changed. I can, however, list the indicators life would never be the same:

    • Full speed driving me to an appointment (!)
    • The boys cleaning out their clothes and snatching some of their too-small t-shirts for my own
    • Full Speed calling Mad Dog from school to bring his I. D. and Mad Dog not recognizing his voice because it was so deep
    • Picking T. Puzzle up from school and spotting him instantly as he was a head taller than everyone else

    My biggest challenge ahead is letting life teach them without trying to interfere.

    They are now realizing life can be unfair and cause pain.  Where I used to be able to shield them from uncertainty which gave me a wobbly sense of control, I am no longer a barrier to the truth of the world.  There are pandemics, political and social injustices, navigating school hierarchies, and the reality even kind and decent souls aren’t exempt from heartache. I am trying to find the balance in talking to them about tough topics and respecting when they want to be quiet.

    I am learning, too.

    I can’t always make things better, but I can respect the fortitude and resilience of both my boys.  They have both shown me in ways big and small they have the intellect and compassion to come to terms with life as it is.  My greatest hope as we enter this new phase of our relationship to one another is to walk alongside them.

    Who am I kidding?

    They already are leading the way.

    IMG_9739
    T.Puzzle getting recognized in our local paper

    IMG_9891
    Full Speed earning his varsity letter for manager.

    IMG_9831
    Full Speed in action, keeping JV stats.