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Monthly Archives: March 2016

Choosing Compassion In a Culture of Fear

March 10, 2016 – 9:57 am

A couple years ago, as I was loading Sophie into the van after a morning of half-day kindergarten, two men approached me. Their car had run out of gas on 27 and they wondered if I would give them a ride to a gas station. I believe most people are good and kind. I give […]

By kara | Posted in All | Tagged Albert Einstein, compassion, culture of fear, Joe, parenting, strangers, This I Believe | Comments (0)
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    “Imagine, kids. We’re on a farm. It’s snowing. Trees as far as you can see. There’s a little barn that sells homemade ornaments and wreaths, and they give you hot chocolate and cookies while nice people dressed as elves help you tie up your tree.” Next year! Bright side: Tree cost $18. Andy said we should wait this long every year. (We all politely disagreed.) These two are exhausting, in all the best and, sometimes, not-so-best ways ❤️ I was dreading going into the Disney Store at the mall today as it’s not my favorite place so before entering I stood in front of it and took a big ol yoga breath and then I walked along the glittery path and saw the magic mirror, the one Sophie used to beg to wave plastic wands in front of so princesses would appear and I turned around and saw a baby in a stroller in a snowsuit and I started to cry and a nice man wearing a light-up Christmas Disney character necklace asked if I needed help and I wanted to tell him yes, that I would like time to not be so damn linear, to maybe circle back around, just once in awhile, but instead I just said no thank you and then I was told to have a magical day and parenting really is the most confusing thing I’ve ever done. These kiddos have met weekly to build a robot named Smashy who pushes moon rocks into a rock crusher so oxygen atoms can be extracted for air on their moon base. Lego League Expo today! Caregiving is such an honest form of love. I’m fairly certain Andy bought all the soft foods the grocery store sells (plus those beauties on my end table). I spent an entire Wednesday in bed which, pain aside, felt most decadent. Texts with lots of hearts. My parents picked the kids up from school today and took them to Graeters so despite the time, it’s blessedly quiet. And thanks to my mom there’s homemade butterscotch and caramel pudding in the fridge. It was just six gum grafts, very minor surgery, I’m totally fine. And grateful. Guess which parents were called “the worst ever” while trying to stop a fight between two brothers who were arguing over a harmonica instead of cleaning their room? The things they fight over are ridiculous. Not to them I know. To them they are big things and great injustices. But I promise you will about lose your mind if you were to listen to one march around the house playing a harmonica while the other one yells “give it back”. #idolovethemiswear Thankful for old friends who don’t judge my dancing. Parenting: listening to a speech on the history of clothing of Southwest Native Americans 12,000 times. Andy poured his chai tea into this ridiculous mug tonight. And then told me about a Christmas movie preview he saw on Netflix that he thought the kids might like. Yesterday he fixed our broken strands of light with something he spent money on, its only purpose being fixing broken strands of Christmas lights. And two days ago he turned the radio station to 98.5. I say this with great love: What has happened to my (sometimes) Grinch-like husband? Maybe, maybe, 14 years of marriage is when your love of all things Christmas begins to settle in your spouse’s soul? I’m not complaining. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving at Jill’s new house. A bit bittersweet. The food on the beautifully decorated table was filled with all the Uhl family favorites (which Jill began cooking at 5 a.m.). And I was so happy to also spend the day with Judy, a dear and talented friend I haven’t seen in years. Happy Thanksgiving! Andy snapped this picture. “8-year-old boy naps with cat.” A guy I knew in high school died two days ago. He was diagnosed with brain cancer just a few weeks prior. He leaves a 4-year-old son. He was one of the good ones. I’m doing that very human thing where I type his name into FB and I read everything friends post about him. He dedicated his life to bettering the world for all. He was Danielle Walker’s campaign manager (she won). As a veteran, he’s helped numerous friends with PTSD. His FB posts were always so passionate. They made me want to be a better person. I did not know him well enough for anyone to say “sorry for your loss.” If I’m honest, I think one of the reasons I write is to be remembered, by someone, when I’m gone. (That sounds not great, I know.) So I post this to say Jarred Parrott, I will remember you and your passion to make the world more beautiful. I honestly don’t know why I chose this picture. Maybe it’s the innocence. Maybe it’s the human-ness. Maybe it’s this sucky feeling I can’t shake knowing you are gone. I’m so sorry you were dealt this hand in life. I’m so sorry you are gone. My ragamuffin dinner dates tonight. icy branches = dented cars (still, it’s pretty) The grandkids made the cake! Happy birthday, Pop Pop! Mom’s table Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope to live my life as well as you live yours. Thank you for all of the adventures. ❤️
    TAP

  • Favorite Essays

    Choosing Compassion in a Culture of Fear

    Seeking the Bigness in the Everyday

    The Love in Trying

    The View from Up High

    Season of Innocence

    The Huffington Post guest post: Apologies to the Parents I Judged Four Years Ago, a TIME's top 10 opinion piece in 2012

    Simple

    Changing Love

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