May has been such a busy month, and now, with my first year of college teaching behind me, I feel like I can finally breathe. Those last few weeks of class and grading and submitting final grades pretty much put everything else in a backseat position. And it didn't help that this is also a really busy time for my marketing communications/PR job in K-12 education, either.

Luckily, I've now had a few days of rest and relaxation, and I feel like I'm ready to tackle some "other" projects that I haven't had time for in many months. I have a lot of reading (school- and non-school-related) that I want to make a priority this summer, as well as some (non-blog-related) writing projects. It might also seem a bit weird, but I want to concentrate on music a bit this summer as well. Many of you know that I've played piano for many years and also love to sing. I really haven't spent a lot of time practicing either of these skills in many years, and I really miss them both. When I sat down at my piano to play the other day, I felt like I was suddenly my true self. Getting caught up in everyday responsibilities easily keeps me from taking the time to fully appreciate and play music myself, but I want to re-capture that brief feeling of completeness that consumes me when I'm making music. An added bonus is that music tends to be a natural "feeder" into any type of creative writing I've undertaken, so I'm hoping the two will work together in my favor over the next couple of months.

I hope that each of you is also able to take some time doing the things you are passionate about during the summer. Here's to some deep breathing, all around...

-Em

Tiny Footprints on a Mother's Heart

When a baby arrives,
be it for a day, a month, a year or more,
or perhaps only a sweet flickering moment-
the fragile spark of a tender soul
the secret swell of a new pregnancy
the goldfish flutter known to only you-
you are unmistakably changed...
the tiny footprints left behind on your heart
bespeak your name as mother.

I love you more than anything.

- Drew

 

Who knew it was this easy?

Wish someone would've told us sooner!

-Em