#OmahaMomLove
Every month, Omaha Mom shares original stories, tips, and inspirations on their social media pages. Here’s the round-of of our favorites from February.
See the Silver Lining
It has been nearly two months since our dishwasher broke and more than one month since our refrigerator and freezer also stopped working.
Most things could not be saved, with a few condiment exceptions.
We lived out of this cooler on our front porch for a few necessary perishables for the first few weeks.
Next, we waited to get an appointment with an appliance repair company.
Then we heard it’s still going to take weeks to months to get the necessary parts in hand. Not to mention the cost of all of it.
If this would’ve happened at any other time in my life, my blood would be boiling as I type this out.
“How could this happen to me?” I’d be thinking.
It’s so easy to go straight to anger and self-pity. But I’ve had my fill of all that. If life lately has taught me anything, it’s to look for the silver linings.
So, yes, we had a semi non-functioning kitchen, but we also have:
…Free school lunch provided each day, so we don’t have to worry about keeping/packing something from home
…Generous friends who sent a Grub hub gift card to order out after hearing about our limited options
And now, we also have a small basement fridge from our in-laws that’s perfectly sized for our weekly staples.
While not ideal, this situation was a good reminder of the blessings and graces all around us.
We have all we need – more than we need – already. And I have faith that it will all work out in due time.
While my appliances may mostly all be broken, my spirit is not.
“For Lent, I’m going to give up using all the tape,” my eight-year-old son declared in the hubbub of Valentine making.I love this kid . . . he is smart and unique and has the drive to invent, create, and improve upon things.
Happy Margarita Day!
Here’s a recipe for Whole Fruit Margarita:Gwendolyn Brooks
Last year, Gwendolyn Brooks became my favorite poet.
Her poems reveal the Black experience of women during the Civil Rights era she lived.
(But that’s not why she’s my favorite poet.)
She was the Poet Laureate for Illinois, the first Black woman to hold the position of poetry consultant with the Library of Congress, and the first Black author to receive a Pulitzer Prize.
(But that’s not why she’s my favorite poet.)
When she won the Pulitzer Prize in 1950, she was 32 years old. She lived in a Chicago housing project with her husband and 9-year-old son. With little money, they had not paid the electric bill that month.
Gwendolyn Brooks worried that when the reporter came to her house to congratulate her, they’d plug the camera in, and she would have to explain the electricity’s absence.
However, mysteriously, when the reporter came, so did the electricity. In a 1986 interview, she shared how after the reporter left, she and her son danced around the living room—relieved that the electricity had returned.
(I LOVE that story, but that’s not why she’s my favorite poet.)
She penned these words in her book Annie Allen:
“Exhaust the little moment. Soon it dies.
And be it gash or gold it will not come
Again in this identical disguise.”
(That’s why she’s my favorite poet.)
Her words remind me no matter what the situation, my kids will never be this age or in this stage again.
I must savor the moment, or I will lose it.
Even in 2020. . .
Even in 2021. . .
I must show up for my kids and be the mom I was created to be.
Her words have been a light reminding me of that.
Change starts at home, in our hearts. Be the Change.
Gwendolyn Brooks (1917-2000): Poet, Writer, Teacher, Mom.
What is this blinding thing?Have a story, tip, or inspiration to share? Submit it for consideration here.
Look for more original stories, tips, and inspiration this month on Omaha Mom Facebook and Instagram pages. Follow along as we discover #Omahamomspringsteps in March.
