After driving all day, we returned Thursday evening from Colorado. It was 34 degrees, windy and very winter-like when we left in the morning. It was 88 degrees driving across the prairie.


I just had to share these chipmunk pictures with you. This is a tradition in my family. Perhaps it would be more accurate to say this is a tradition for me … I have loved photography for years and I always take the kids to ride a tram to the top of this mountain in Estes and feed the chipmunks. If you go in July, the critters are so fat they can hardly move and they are not interested in anything short of chocolate covered gourmet goodies. But in early June—they were all over the place, waiting for us! Plus we got there early, had the place to ourselves, a nice overcast day for photography … and here are the results. Beth was tired and grumpy and not the best model but I am still happy with some of the over 150 pictures I took!


Perhaps you might remember the previous discussion in this post about whether or not Amy should accompany us on this trip? She didn’t. In fact, neither did Kyle and Marie, due to job issues. So it was just my husband, Steph, Beth and me. However, as I was taking the pictures and proofing them on my laptop, I couldn’t help but think about past trips to Colorado.


When I stroll down memory lane, it makes me think about the last post I wrote, about giving and giving and giving. I think about how many fun family things we did over the past twenty years, how many opportunities we provided for healing, how many gifts were given but not accepted. I have countless pictures of Amy feeding chipmunks.


And so, of course, this time the gift wasn’t offered. The opportunity to go with us to Colorado was not extended to the person who almost never reciprocated gifts—neither material nor emotional ones. (The most recent Mother’s Day was no exception to that pattern.)


But I don’t think when Deborah Hannah encourages us to redefine our purpose in parenting that she means that we should give until the cup is sucked dry. Having poor boundaries benefits no one. I still think the policy of not participating in Christmas gift exchanges is not a bad plan if the child has nothing to give and no excuses for their lack of participation. And not going on a vacation … especially if that person’s presence is a detriment to the other family members … well, that’s a no-brainer. My only quandary about it was with respect to everyone else’s views … not Amy’s response to my views. Sad, but true.



And so it was that I took pictures last week of two of my three daughters.


Nancy Thomas has a great article on Surviving Mother's Day.