Starting the year at home, but about to go traveling
It’s more than two years now, since this little man moved into my house as a foster placement. I had been saying no to possible placements (except the odd brief overnight/weekend respite) for over two years, when I came home from a holiday in New York and was full of life and energy at the … More Saying Goodbye
Writing about Linda earlier, reminded me of something else worth mentioning. On her first night here, I explained some house rules, including to turn off electrical appliances (lights, air conditioning) when she wasn’t using them, because it costs money. Later in the evening, she brought up the electricity issue with me, shyly saying “you gotta … More Cross Cultural Misperceptions
A couple of weeks ago, 20yo Mary rang from her remote community. I have known her since she was 11yo and I looked after her now-18yo brother, Maxwell, for a year during a very tumultuous time in their (and consequently my) life. They and their family consider me a mother. Which makes me – a … More Second Stab of Pathos
In recent years I’ve read a lot about being “painted black”, also known as “splitting”. It means thinking in extremes, and has been described by such people as Anna Freud and Sigmund Freud. Splitting occurs naturally in childhood, as part of the developmental process where children learn about good vs bad, and how to integrate … More Paint Me Black
I came home this afternoon after a swim and some grocery shopping, and was about to get in the shower when a loud knock came at the door. I went to the door and Alice, Marcia’s “sister” (cousin), tried to come inside. She is a big drinker, so I stood my ground in the … More A Stab of Pathos at the Front Door
There’s an excellent book I recently finished reading, called “Mountains Beyond Mountains” by Tracy Kidder. It’s a biographical account of Dr Paul Farmer, an American doctor who became involved with a poor community in Haiti during his medical training at Harvard. Since then he has become a Professor at Harvard, a consultant at a Harvard … More Judging Disadvantage
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