Giving Thanks

Early Thanksgiving morning and I have just changed my son's poopy diaper. I am grateful that it was swift and healthy, for yesterday he struggled for at least 20 minutes to have a poop. In a restaurant no less. There was my son, hanging on to me and his grandma at the same time, bearing down, eyes turning red and watering, pushing and grunting loudly while other diners tried to eat. I had to change him in the car as the restaurant did not have a changing table in their restroom. When I came back in, he was so tired that he fell asleep almost instantly in my mom's arms. It was quite the event for him.

I didn't expect to talk about my son's poop this morning, but I do want to say how grateful I am for the beautiful being who has blessed our lives - we are truly blessed. He teaches me how to be grateful for the small things as well as the big and obvious. And, I am grateful that I have my mom, who has helped us so generously in so many ways. I am also grateful that my husband is working so hard to create a good career for himself to support his family and allow me to stay at home and raise our son. I have a wonderful life. It may not always be easy, and it may not always be fun, but I am blessed for all that I have - the good and the bad. Besides, what's positive and negative in our lives comes down to how we perceive things.

Now, I'm off to get ready for cooking my first turkey! We're hosting one of my best friends and her husband, with whom I am having a tiny feud over the turkey. I told him, when he enthusiastically asked how he could help, that he could show me how to cook it. Well, that turned into him planning a recipe and not telling anyone what it is - and complained, when I asked him if I could tell him how my dad makes it, that I wasn't going to let him do the turkey. All that is fine, if it were HIS turkey. But, it's not. It's MY turkey, we're hosting, we bought the free-range bird (which I hope all of you will consider in the future, if you don't already). He will be a good test for me to stay in a grateful, loving space today.

Have a wonderful, grateful day, everybody.

Love,
Aislinn

He's coming home!

Neil is coming home tonight. I find myself excited and a little bummed out, to be honest. I haven't seen him in over two weeks and have gotten used to not sharing my space with him. I've had the bed to myself. I haven't had to worry about making dinner that pleases both my vegetarian mom and carnivorous husband. In fact, I haven't had to make dinner at all! My mom's done it, or we've gone out to Thai or a salad buffet (we went to Sweet Tomatoes for the first time the other night, which is a salad buffet with soups and pastas, too. I was in salad heaven). Neil will be busy with school and work when he's back so I'll still have plenty of time to myself, but I'll miss giving up precious bed real estate.

I am, however, very happy to be together as a family again and Riley having someone else to play with. And I look forward to a few more private things as well. I hope to have a date night or two while my mom is still here. She's going back to Hawaii at the end of the month and does not have a return ticket yet. I don't think she'll be there longer than two or three months, but I sure will miss her help with the baby and the house, and spending time with her, of course.

Neil actually just got home, so I gotta go.

Love,
Aislinn

Autumn

Political Firsts

Two political firsts happened the night of the 4th. Aside from Mr. Barack Obama becoming our President-elect, I finally told my dad that I am a Democrat. In the 10 years that I've been voting, politics have been a silent don't-ask-don't tell between my dad and I. He's a conservative and I was always too nervous to tell him how liberal I was. I guess I hoped that he would just assume.

Tuesday night, after I put the baby to sleep and sat down on my dad's couch with a brownie in one hand and a glass of milk in the other, the local Bend news switched back to the national converge and it was silent. On my dad's big 50" television screen showed a picture of Barack Obama and the words that he was the 44th president of the United States of America. I sat there, smiling. I held my browning and milk, frozen. I wanted to take the whole moment in so I can remember every detail when I tell my children what I was doing when the first black man was elected president. When a great man that inspired (most of) a nation became president.

I didn't celebrate because I didn't know how my dad would react to Obama becoming our next president. I was very surprised when he stated that he did like Obama's charisma and while he doesn't agree with some of his policies, he really hopes that Obama can turn this country around. I was so relieved to hear that.

The baby woke up about an hour later and when I came back from getting him back to sleep, as I was sitting down on the couch, my dad suddenly asked who I voted for. He rather blurted it out like he had wanted to know for awhile and was finally forcing himself to ask (he tried to ask what I wanted to see happen earlier in the night but we got interrupted). My heart immediately started pounding, as my dad's tone of voice does when he gets forceful like that. But, I was proud: I voted for Obama, Dad. "Why?" came his harsh response. I could have gone in to a long explanation of why I voted for Barack Obama, opening the door for debate or for my dad to either gain or lose respect for me. But instead I simply stated that it was because I was a Democrat. "Why?" he asked again, sounding disgusted. Again, I was careful to choose my words. I thought he had hope for Obama, why was he suddenly grilling me on my choice?

I told him that I honestly didn't understand a lot of of the different tax views between Republican and Democrat, but that there are some fundamental beliefs that I don't agree with the Republicans on. My example to him was abortion. Republicans (I suppose I should be safe here and say most of them, not all) don't believe in a woman's right to choose and as a woman, I just don't agree with that.

My dad didn't say anything. Just like that our conversation on politics was over. It took ten years to have a one minute conversation. But, I felt relieved that my dad finally knows now that I'm a Democrat. And I am truly proud to be one right now. I will admit though, that I was a little disappointed that my dad didn't know that I was a Democrat. Made me realize that he doesn't really know me as who I am as a person. He still sees his little girl when he looks at me and he hasn't tried to have a meaningful conversation with me aside from what I'm doing with my life.

Well, anyhow. I am so proud to call Barack Obama president. What a great moment.

Love,
Aislinn

Wisdom

Wisdom is inordinately difficult to conjure. Ask any wise person—if you can find one—to say something wise and, like as not, they will say something stupid. Trying to be wise on command is kind of like being spontaneous on purpose-- it’s an oxymoron. It cannot be done.

- Red Tail