Category: Wisdom

" Strenght, Art, Children, College, Inocente, Kahlil Gibran "On Children, Mothers, Parenting, Single Parents, Wisdom

Mommy Angst

Mona Alvarado Frazier
inocenteart.com

Yesterday I scrolled through my Facebook and stopped at a painting of a purple tree. A tree with lines and thick branches, reminding me of strength. Pink and blue limbs embraced tiny red hearts, while others unfurled their branches. These delicate curving lines seemed soft, almost frilly against the stoutness of the tree trunk.


Hearts tumbled from the limbs, cascading against a background of warmth. Other hearts lie under the branches. They seemed happy, perky, ready to bring forth their own seedlings. 

The drawing resonated with me at that particular moment. Yesterday was my youngest child’s birthday, and he will be leaving for college out of state in late August. 

These two life markers coupled with the image of the strong tree and delicate hearts hit me in the solar plexus. I am that tree. The mommy tree. The hearts are my children, held close, then released into the world. 

Although I haven’t been called mommy since my three kids turned eight or so, I felt transported back to ‘mommy’ status. My being filled with angst, a single mommy angst.  None of my other children left out of state for college and are still in my home.  

To further push me out of my comfort zone, today, my middle child, my daughter, wants to go with the youngest to Colorado to look for a job. Who knew that phlebotomists and medical assistants were oversaturated in our county. Well, they are and she can’t find a job here. 

Two of my three leaving. A double whammy of angst. I know this is something every parent goes through whenever one of their children leaves the home. Knowing that doesn’t make it easier. I’ve been a single parent for so long that I may not know what to do with my feelings, except to write. 

So it was serendipitous that I came upon this poem quite by chance. The words gave me another perspective. I felt understood. 




The wisdom of the poem helped me through the day. I hope to find more ways to help me go through the mommy angst as the weeks go by. 
Encouragement, Family, Strength, Wisdom

How an Afternoon Walk Turns into More

Mona Alvarado Frazier

gettyimages.com

Sometimes a whining dog is my conscience. 

Chip, said dog, stared mournfully at his hanging leash. He reminded my busy self to take advantage of the warm weather and take a walk. Okay, I wasn’t busy. More like tied up in my own thoughts of problems my family and friends are going through.  Chip caught me looking at him, then his leash, and let out a bark. 

We strode past the walkways in the neighborhood, past the geese at the tiny man-made lake, and past the golf course.  Calmness drew into my brain with each breath of outdoor air. I often forget that the mind clears during these times.

We walked by shrubs that he wanted to pee on. Of course he wants to pee on every tree, bush, and hydrant, but this time I let him saunter up against the hedge. 

I noticed one purple flower in the center of the bush. It must have struggled through the thicket of broad leaves surrounding its thin wiggly stem. Lavender petals among dense greenery. Peeking out. 


It probably blew there from some far place. No other purple flowers on the path. From the dirt, through the thicket, up towards the sunlight, poking its head through a crowd of heavier leaves the flower swayed on its frilly stem. The petals soaked up sunlight.

I thought about God and the universe and how we find our way through the scrub of life. It’s often a fight, through the darkness of the undergrowth, weaving in and out of a temporary sunshine, sometimes on a crooked stem. But if we keep at it, believe in our strength, and keep pushing, we can enjoy the sunshine.

Chip tugged at his leash. He was ready to mark more territory. I snapped a photo. Who knew one could find encouragement among the hedges and wisdom in a scraggly flower.