A Word for the Broken
I met a remarkable woman yesterday. In for an interview, she arrived earlier than what she thought traffic would allow, so I visited with her for a bit until Kevin was free. Like most women do when left to their own devices, we got right to the heart of the matter...our families. She told me about her three children, then her eyes went from bright pride to a soft sadness when she got to her husband. He'd died from a sudden and relentless bout of cancer about a year and a half ago, and the reality of it was still obviously tender. On top of that, he was followed in sudden death by her father, with whom she was very close. I told her how sorry I was, that I couldn't imagine such a...
An Open Birthday Letter to my Daughter
Hey honey, It's early on the morning of your 27th birthday. I woke up thinking about you. Well, you and me, if I'm honest. I can't really think about your entrance into the world without bringing myself into the equation, because everything changed for me that day. I was finally a mother; something I'd always wanted to be, and in just a few hours (thank you for that!), your dad and I went from being a duo to a trio. I couldn't have been any happier. You were supposed to have been born on your Aunt Monique's birthday, but you decided to put it off for a full five days and increase my anticipation (and discomfort!). However, once you arrived, you were pretty easygoing. Your smile blew...
This Whackadoodle World
Sometimes you just don't see things coming. Your day is clicking along at a reasonable pace, you're productive, there's no real drama, and you end it up with a nice meal. Or so you think. Until you get home from said meal and you're slammed with months' worth of drama in a single blow to the head, crazy anger and conflict from people who won't work things out, willing to trade in many years of good just so they can be right. It's dizzying, spinning you around to the point of disorientation. Not a great way to fall asleep (and I use the word "sleep" loosely). I have been known to refer to this world as whackadoodle, but I realize in the writing of it that I'm not talking about the...
The Art of Gratitude
I got a little something in the mail yesterday. Something simple, but hardly negligible, at least in my opinion. A note of thanks. Thanks for staying at their establishment. Thanks for considering staying again. You might look at this as good business, and you'd be right, but they took the time to hand-write it. While a form letter would've been nice, this took more time. It made me feel valued as a customer, and it seemed personal to them that we chose their hotel over every other one in Austin. I was raised to write thank-you notes. It's part of the Robinson family code to express our thanks in writing, and one that I've handed down; still, to this day, I put a box of fresh...
Angels, Unaware
We were minding our own business yesterday. Kevin was working on a fire pit project, and I was working on some things inside the house. Maddie had her usual Sunday afternoon lesson with her usual student, and they were riding at the back of the property. However, when Maddie and crew came riding back up the hill, there was someone else with them. Yep, it was this little guy. As you might imagine, we see dogs out here all the time. Some, we've discovered, belong to neighbors, and others have just passed through once, never to be seen or heard from again. But we've never seen this one. Young, with no identification, and very, very friendly, he didn't leave Maddie's side all afternoon....