Susan Hines-Brigger

Anyone who knows me knows that when it comes to gift-giving I have two rules, the most important of which is this: no gift cards. My second rule has to do with what I see as the redundancy of getting a greeting card and a gift, but that’s not what I want to talk about here. That first rule is especially important to me at Christmastime.

If there is anything I have learned as a parent, it is that the only thing you can be certain about is that your life with your kids will be filled with uncertainty.

Author Terry Hershey talks about the benefits of putting pen, crayon, marker, or any other writing instrument to paper and capturing what we’re going through at that moment.

Lockdown—that was the subject line of the e-mail I got at work on one of the last days of school this past May. My heart dropped into my stomach. I quickly scrolled down to read the body of the message, though not entirely sure I wanted to. 

“Gym tonight?” That was the text from my friend Krista. And just as Batman jumps into action when the bat symbol lights up the sky, I knew she needed me. The gym is code for, “I need to talk, and I need someone to listen.” She could have needed to talk about her kids, her job, or just the pressures of being a mom. I just needed to be there with open ears and an open heart.

The fact that we would be able to do a little exercise in the process was just a bonus.