My baby girl is having a baby. I feel the parallelism of generations. I had my first baby at 22. She is 22. I was born prematurely (29 weeks) and she born at 29 weeks. When she passed her 29th week with this pregnancy, we both felt a special relief. She calls me often and shows me her growing belly and asks how much it will hurt. I honestly can’t remember the childbirth pain. Other pain through the years has been more indelible. This baby will be my 7th grandchild, but she is the first of my daughters to have a baby. I don’t know why that feels different, but it does. Maggie could be born any day now. I’m so distracted (in a good way).

My one-little-word for this year is remember. As this month of focused “slicing” approached, I found myself scanning memories and wondering which ones will come out in writing this month. I’m never quite sure where my writing will take me, but I remember the growth I felt last year as I worked to write every day in March and am looking forward to more growing this year. I remember the first response I got to my first post last year. I was so excited–it meant so much to me that someone cared to read my words and write back.

As I read Betsy Hubbard’s post the other day where she mentioned that “close reading” is really about what you believe in (Chris Lehman), the cymbals crashed, the drums boomed, and the trumpets blared as I experienced a clarifying moment. It is our beliefs that make us stop and notice a turn of phrase, a shift of perspective, or an affirmation of our own thoughts and experiences. I think that is why I am participating in this challenge. I’m hungry for the experience of reading others’ words and finding myself in them.