Those were magical years…

I spent some time tonight texting with my friend, Lisa.

Lisa lives in Anchorage and is one of those I hold closest to my heart.

We talked about parenting. And how sometimes it really, truly, sucks.

And we talked about the good times.

Oh, dear Lord in Heaven, there were some good times.

Those years in Anchorage, there was a village. Myrna, Kristine, Lee, Lisa, Sarah, Suzi, Silke …(ok, there were dads too, but I am focusing on the mamas)

We parented as a collective, a village.

On any given day some house was home to any number of kids. If one of us needed something, another one answered the call.

Our kids were not friends. They were family.

I remember one kid, saying about another kid: “oh, yeah, he/she is a little odd, but it’s all good, because we are, essentially, cousins. So we have to love each other”.

Thank the Good Lord above, they may have been talking about any one of mine.

We carpooled. We played together. We shared meals.

And sooooooo much more.

In sickness we fed each other.

In hardship we held each other.

In triumph we celebrated each other.

Through it all we loved each other.

And do to this day.

These women set the standard for friendship. It’s a high one.

My prayer is I live up and that I give my kids the tools to find their village when the time comes.

The time is NOW…

Oklahoma teachers are poised to strike.

A full-on statewide shut down the schools and take it to the capital strike.

The time is NOW

Oklahoma teachers are among the lowest paid in the country. They have not had a raise in a decade. Kids with high school diplomas make more working at our local convenience store chain than our teachers with college degrees and many years of experience make shaping our nation’s future.

(Full disclosure, I love that Quik Trip pays well, I think it is fantastic. Because, as a freaky liberal hippie, I kind of think a living wage is awesome).

Back to teachers.

There are so many reasons why Oklahoma teachers are paid nothing.

Blame it on oil. Blame it on big business. Blame it on conservatives. Blame it on liberals. There is plenty to go around.

I think it is deeper than that. Bigger than a political party, bigger than any corporation.

And much much smaller.

I KNOW I deserve the blame.

I believe YOU deserve the blame, too.

How many times have I/You heard(or uttered) some variation of the following:

“You don’t need to be a teacher. You could do so much more”. “There is no money in teaching”. “What about engineering?”

Really? More than molding the future?

Yep. There is NO money in teaching.

Sure. Engineers are pretty cool.

I am a strong believer that we need a societal shift. One that measures success not by dollars. But by joy. By a sense of worth.

Only when we stop saying “oh, you want to teach English to high schoolers? But you could make so much more money if you were a college professor”

Only when we stop saying “why would you be a nurse when you could be a doctor? You could make so much more money…”

Only when we stop saying “you are a science/math/technology teacher? Why didn’t you get an engineering degree? You could make so much more money…”

Only when we say “oh, you want to be a teacher!?!? Thank God! How can we make possible to live your passion?”

So, Oklahoma.

Fund our schools.

Pay our teachers.

THE TIME IS NOW.

Grown, growing up…

It’s all bad.

It’s all wonderful.

Kjell is home for a little bit. And I am over the moon. I love love love having all my chicks in the nest.

This afternoon, as we drove to Houston to spend the weekend with Dave, it hit me hard.

This might not happen again.

It won’t be long before Kjell is done with his first round of schooling. And then he is off. Whether he chooses to sail commercial or go active duty, he won’t have spring/winter/summer break. He will have a job. A career. He is right on the edge of his adult life. And what a life it is shaping up to be.

And it won’t be long before Broder heads off to college. He will still have spring/winter/summer break, for a few years, but the carefree days of high school are almost over. He is stepping into his future, the hard work of pursuing his passion is just about to start.

All I want is to stop time.

To keep them here with me forever.

All I can do is support them as they go.