Tribe

As anyone with small children knows, a stay at home mom (cannot) will not make it easily without other mama's around. Even if it is a highly interrupted phone conversation at eight thirty in the morning while making breakfast with six collective children screaming in both backgrounds.... Somehow this makes every morning better. We are not meant to do this alone.


Even better than that is having friends who get you in a fundamental way, who can hear your voice and know instantly how you are doing, and who require no editing, apologies, disclaimers or explanations during conversations. They are unapologetic and fiercely individual, and ask only that you be the same for yourself.


The best of all is when your friends who get you in a fundamental way show up for your birthday with hand-made and hand-grown gifts, from their kitchens and gardens and their homes, simple, personal, loving and priceless. I especially loved the custom made cake. Like I said, nothing like friends who get you. It makes you feel like you have won the cosmic lottery and could possibly be the luckiest, wealthiest woman alive.


What I really love about these photos is that we all have babies in arms and we are smiling ...regardless of how all those babies sound on the phone at whatever time in the morning, and nevermind that I haven't started and finished a complete sentence since October 2005, it still feels like the sweetest part of life, these women and our children creating a tribe when ever we come together. It means the world to me in my journey as a mother, and I am honored to know every single member of this tribe. I could write a book for each one , telling how much I love them.
My one beer of the evening, it took like five hours to finish it. Look at me in my apron at the stove...domestic.

I had a great birthday.

oh. and this is that happens when there is a ginormous cake sitting on the table in the kitchen with lurking two year olds. They just walked by waving their hands, hoping to make contact before one of us chased them away. Sort of like trolling for fish, but more interesting.