When Carolyn and I got together to discuss our ambitions for creating this website,
we wanted to create a community where we could come together and talk about those
issues we felt were important to us; where we could discuss our struggles and ask
for advice; where we could share where we found inspiration
in hopes of inspiring
others. We wanted a place where we could go and, not see each other's differences,
but where we would hope to find those similarities that are there in all of us. This site is designed around the way women speak, the way we get to know each other.
We share our life stories and connect
through our common experiences.
We each have stories to tell: that we can share to inspire others; help others in
their own lives; to get help from those members of this community; or just lead to
discussion that would help us to see each others' perspectives more clearly.
This is what this web site is all about, its about listening, talking, engaging;
its about creating an active web community and we'll all be there with a listening ear
and an open heart.
I say I grew up in the Adirondack mountains in a small town
in New York state. My family moved there when I was seven years old and we left when I was 14, but it was those
years that shaped my outlook on life and made me who I am today. Life
in those mountains were rugged and beautiful. For me, God is found in the
harsh beauty of nature - and in each of us. In those few, brief years, I came to know that it is not things accumulated
that make us special, but the strength of self that comes from within. I am now
a 45 year old mother of two teenagers - one in college, and the other a junior in
high school. I believe that our
personal views are outcomes of our own personal experiences. It is my hope that by designing this website, where
we can all share our own experiences, we may be able to understand different views and come to
celebrate our differences.
The oldest daughter in an Irish-German family of seven,
my first twenty years were spent in the Boston area.
In my early twenties I moved, sight unseen, west to the
Rocky Mountains, seeking adventure and new connections in Colorado.
I call myself a "later mom" (not "older", though that's true, too!)
as I gave birth to my daughter when I was 40 (she just began college)
and my son at 43 (he’s a junior in high school). And my other son
(I prefer this to "stepson" as he’s a wonderful young man and the
word "step" doesn't describe how I feel about him) is in his mid-twenties
and currently exploring life in the wilds of Alaska. I strongly believe
that we are all connected in ways beyond our understanding and that one
of the great beauties of life lies in the diverse ways we experience
life. I see this website as an avenue for communicating our own
perspectives about life and the things that matter to us, finding our
differences and our commonalities through the words we use to tell our
stories.
And yes... we met when our daughters were in kindergarten - who are now safely off
to college (in separate states) and their friendship, like ours, is strong and fast
and lifelong. Both our youngest - our sons- will graduate together from high
school next year- also good friends.