Initiation

I feel as though I've been initiated into another segment of the mommy sisterhood, and inadvertently, another level of the fraternity that is life as a parent. What other experience would evoke the same emotions as lying next to your sweet, ill child while she reaches for you each time she is forced by her body to dry heave?

How to explain to toddlers that our bodies are nearly perfect, but aren't impervious to the occasional "frog in your throat" (from an episode of Little Bear that has been the catalyst to their perception of having to go home so mommy can take care of you)?

While caring for my sick daughters, I told a friend that I felt overwhelmed and triumphant at the same time. We can either strive to live a life void of unpleasant experiences, or we can dive into the muck and come out dirty, yet cleansed.

At the risk of sounding cliché, the negative experiences in my life only serve to make me stronger.

Tristyn in healthier times