Glad you saved it, but yowza does the under-potatoed, generously scalloped potatoes sound amazing.

Right? Baked soup can be good. Uh, so uhm, make this recipe with less potatoes and more milk and you'll be good.

but the fact that both my parents loved me and never took out any anger on each other in ways that could affect me is something I am entirely grateful to have grown up knowing. That is still priceless to me.

That is the trick. People compliment EM and I for having such a good working relationship, but I am always quick to say that it required a lot of work. That it wasn't an accident of easy good will but an effortful prioritizing of Emmett's well being.

Not to claim credit for us, but to say that it requires putting aside your ego and loving your child more than your righteous anger.

Though it does seem that both you and JZ have managed to be friends with EM, not just put anger aside but actually forgiven and become friends. I'm sure it took a lot of work, but it is something not everyone could have done regardless of how hard they worked. It says something about both you and JZ as people.

Not to claim credit for us, but to say that it requires putting aside your ego and loving your child more than your righteous anger.

The fact that so many prefer to put the anger first says something about those who put their child(ren) first.

The fact that so many prefer to put the anger first says something about those who put their child(ren) first.

So much this.

One of my clients has chosen to deal with custody issues as a 'business-like teamwork' situation. The child is all that matters. This seems infinitely more practical and sustainable than putting the anger first.

Nobody thinks they're putting anger first. If you presented the choice to them like that they'd all deny it. But it's hard to let go of the feeling of being wronged.

As the wise amych once taught me, any time you act (react?) out of a wounded sense of ego it's likely the wrong impulse. The trick is to catch yourself in that moment. Not easy in the flush of feeling.

ION, Big Ass Thunder Storm in SF. Which is unusual here.

Pouring here.

and I just found out one of my 16 yr old library volunteers ( girl) disappeared last night

Oh, gosh, beth, how scary. Safety~ma for her.

Indeed. I hope she's just out being 16-years-old, and not... other.

Not other~Ma, too.

Goodness, beth, I hope she's ok.

I just had 9 hours of sleep in my own bed, after several nights trying to sleep on a blow-up mattress in my niece's room. She's always wonderfully gracious about sharing her space, but it's great to be back to my pillow-top queen-size mattress, with bonus knee-warming cat.

beth, how awful! I hope she's ok.