“Perhaps home is not a place but simply an irrevocable condition.” James Baldwin Today, May 25, 2019, marks exactly one year since we moved to Charleston. The entire move was a total whirlwind, to say the least. I had just delivered our second daughter, and exactly two weeks (!!) later, we moved to Charleston. We…
Tag: family
San Francisco Trip
As mentioned in my previous post on traveling with an infant, our little family took our first major trip earlier this month. We chose San Francisco, a city I have visited before but that my husband had not been to yet. We were entertaining a few options (Hawaii, the Turks and Caicos — where we…
The Irony of Becoming an American Citizen
On February 9, 2016, my husband became a United States citizen. He was a British citizen previously, and he would always joke about how he didn’t *really* want to be an American (those people who incessantly chant “USA!!! USA!!!” or sing the national anthem at every.single.event.), but it would make life easier now that he has…
On Having a Daughter
To be frank, when I first became pregnant I was hoping for a son. Don’t get me wrong — it is not because I think sons are more desirable than daughters or because of the worldwide view of boys as being “superior.” On the contrary, I am very passionate about the rights of girls and…
Family
Family Family wraps you in its arms From the moment you enter the world It nurtures your growth Consoles your tears Corrects your mistakes It guides your feet to walk the earth Family cooks your favorite meals And makes your favorite sweets It feeds your heart and soul with love It sings old lullabies that…
Readjusting Expectations
Lately I’ve been pondering expectations and how they have changed (or not changed) over the past decade or so of my life. Expectations, specifically from the people in our lives, can be a sticky area to navigate. We all have different ideas of how people should treat us and how we would treat others, and…
With Liberty and Justice for All
A recent news story about a New York school allowing students to recite the pledge of allegiance in Arabic sparked controversy across the country. It appears that many were upset by this, and the school ended up apologizing for allowing it. My question is why? The school had been reciting the pledge in different languages…
Preparing for “Parenthood” Withdrawal
There have been only a handful of television shows that left me feeling utterly unsure of what to do once it ended, and Parenthood is one of them. I didn’t even know much about the show until a very random mention of it by a colleague once, totally in passing at a random dinner that…
Happiness, Karma, and Waiting for Good News
As we get older, we learn to come to terms with the ups and downs of life. We expect that we will have both good and bad experiences, meet wonderful and horrible people, make right and wrong choices, and feel every emotion on the spectrum between elation and despair. We cannot ever predict what will happen…
A Rose From a Rose
Yesterday I had a few minutes before my haircut and was wandering around the nearby Earth Fare. I was intently looking at some moisturizers and asking the department’s employee some questions when a cute little girl in the most Christmas-y red dress came up to us declaring, “Christmas is coming!” Her dad was nearby and…
Our First Holiday Season
Since moving into our new home just a few months ago, we have really been enjoying the holiday spirit and starting new traditions for years to come. We decorated a Christmas tree last week (my husband’s first Christmas tree, and my first real one!) just before Thanksgiving. Because my in-laws were only able to come…
I Hope I Have Sons, But Not For The Reasons You Think
In much of the world, having a son is far more favored than having a daughter. I can only speak for India based on my cultural understanding of the country of my family’s origin, where in many parts, girls are aborted or even killed after birth because they would bring financial burden to their families….
pen . paper . storm 