The Musings of a Latte Queen: Narratives of Everyday Life

The good news is that this has been one of the most peaceful holiday seasons. Today is the first day of Kwanzaa, the principle today being Umoja, Unity. I think that is what my soul feels. My family and I had a month of experiences, created memories, and honored each other in our lives. We started it off with my son's concert, then the girls' had concerts, then my husband had a concert, and we attended performances. These are the things they will remember more than anything that was or wasn't under the tree. This year, we didn't even go shopping until Christmas Eve, and even then, kept it thoughtful and small. We avoided the commercialism of the season and didn't fight over a pair of overprice, cheaply made, athletic shoes that speak to the lowest of emotions, why spend $180 for that? The economy probably set our family to thinking about what we really have, what we really need, and what we really want. Maybe, maybe not, I know, it made me think about all that w...

A dear friend of mine posted on facebook this morning something that has settled into my spirit. It was very simple, yet powerful, the statement, actually a picture with the quote. "Life does not come with a remote control, get up and change it yourself." Powerful! I thought that was an apt metaphor of the year coming to a close and the year waiting to open. We saw tremendous change and many frustrations over this past year. The economy continues to have many in a choke-hold, the Occupy movement is discovering it is more than a location even as the momentum of place has moved to the momentum of heart, and there are those that want to continue to control everything from what women do with their bodies to what we can eat. The statement is a banner for me for the year, we have to sometimes shake things up in order to make those around us realize that things can no longer be the way they were, status quo is good for no one. 2012, I have been saying that for years, 2012 is my...