Dear friends and gentle readers,
As promised, here is the blog entry which, edited just a tiny bit, vacuumed its way into Suzi Banks Baum’s “An Anthology of Babes: 36 Women Give Motherhood a Voice” published in 2013. If you’ve saved a few shekels, do consider buying the book. I promise you’ll hear some delightful, sincere, authentic stories.
Lake Superior Spirit 
Okay, I don’t ever remember reading this one so I’m super glad you posted it today, and that it’s part of a way cool new book! I love this, Kathy! Congrats and Kudos and thanks for this treat!
It must have snuck in under your radar, Susan Dee! (I didn’t think that possible, lol.) Now I’m almost as famous a published author as YOU.
You are “Just” awesome.
And so are you, John!
I remember this one! And I still like it, even though I forgot to push the button last year. I did it tonight though 🙂
Glad your story is being published. Being called “just” an anything is condescending. Hopefully folks will realize one day that no one fits into *just* one nook.
Oh I’m glad you remember this, Heather. That means you’re an “old-timer”. tee-hee. Just sayin’. You’re not as young as you think! P.S. Isn’t age often another condescending category? I do so think, don’t you?
Age and weight!
I *am* an old-timer…getting grey hairs even – and I currently think I shall refuse to dye. My hair that is. I don’t think I’ll be able to refuse to die.
I swear I shan’t dye either. Dying…well, swearing won’t do us much good, shall it?
I don’t remember this one. But I recognize the careening desire to do more, different, crazy, infinitely heart filling. And we will.
Dawn, I thought for sure you would remember. You’ve been reading my blogs since back-in-the-day. I so appreciate your steadfastness. (Even if you can’t *sniff* read every single blog. JUST KIDDING! I don’t read every single blog myself…)
Defining oneself as “just” anything is as if one feels inadequate or less than worthy … unless one is “just wonderful” !
I am liking the way you think, Sybil!
No one is ‘just’ anything. We are all complex individuals with many skills and should not be defined by our day jobs. Most do not see it that way, though. Personally, I was always proud to be a mother, although my housewifely chores were just that – chores – and with children, they were also never-ending! Like you, I was happy to raise my children myself and show them that I cared about them enough not to farm out the child-rearing duties to a daycare or babysitter while I went out and ‘fulfilled’ myself. To be honest, by the time we began our family, I was really done with the ‘day job’ and couldn’t wait to stay home with my kids and do all the fun stuff with them. I did cringe a little when I met strangers who asked that humiliating question, “What do you do for a living?” and I answered, “I’m a stay-at-home mom.” Some would say I was lucky, but many would shake their heads as though raising a smart, caring, responsible citizen wasn’t as important as being the CEO of some huge corporation. I really think that, in this day and age, we need more people to be ‘just housewives/house husbands’. We need to put the needs of our kids ahead of our own needs, at least until they are old enough to be the independent people we hope they will become. 🙂
I so LOVED reading your response! Those of us in society who are sometimes labeled by a “just” must keep opening the eyes of those with a tendency to “just”. At least I try to keep opening my own eyes whenever a “just” comes out of my lips–which hopefully doesn’t happen too often.