SowHope

Vote for ArtPrize #52267 “Sowing Hope” by Kim Gill

Once again, artist Kimberly Grace Gill has skillfully painted the beautiful women of SowHope.  This time you can see her art on display until Oct 7 at the Women’s City Club at 254 Fulton Street in Grand Rapids. The large oil painting is part of a 1517 piece competition for the largest art prize in […]

Necessities?

We had a coupon for a Mocha Frappe, my daughter’s favorite early morning jolt.   Her tummy was full of bagels and cream cheese and she was on a mission for the Mocha Frappe.  We pulled into the drive-through, her excitement building as we waited our turn to order a drink for her and an extra […]

Envy

We were in a white, sterile exam room when the doctor told me I had cancer.  Later, when I was talking on the phone with a friend I reasoned that I didn’t have time for death, I had a teenage daughter to raise.   As I contemplated the fine mess I’d gotten into, I realized […]

Part 3 – Ideas on Mothering – Cont.

So why do we treat third-world mothers as though they are any different than us?  Do they love their children less than we do?  Are they less motivated to see their children’s lives flourish?  Are they less capable of self-sacrifice, affection, empathy, or compassion than we are?  We apparently take our parenting very seriously here […]

Part 2 – Ideas on Mothering – Cont.

So if your mothering is not based on Western Society, consider the options for alleviating Third World poverty that are presented to most of us here in the privileged West:  we are shown pictures of darling babies, innocent toddlers, toothless grins of elementary-aged school children, and asked to support them monetarily.  There is no question […]

Ideas on Mothering

As Mother’s Day approaches, we ask, “Do you love your children because you have a college degree?  Or because you live in a rich country?  Do you do what is best for them because you have electricity and running water?  Do you get up with them in the middle of the night when they need […]

Give Them a Voice

The conversation flowed, the company familiar.  We bantered back and forth as amicable associates do, first on the news of today, then on our mutual peers.  The air of change began almost imperceptibly, just as the car traveling beside you be…

Something Ridiculous

The budget has been tight this past year in trying to get back into the swing after a year of self-employment.  Delving into a designer bag / food business out of my home, I hoped the correlation of hard work with my gleeful hobby would translate into mountains of cash.  After all, Coach had to […]