Yesterday was a good day. Not because I climbed a mountain or received a book contract or even successfully navigated the aisles of the neighborhood grocery store. I did none of those things; I did, in fact, very little. It was a good day because two people (besides my husband and I who are, of course, under familial obligation) told me that my sons (MY sons!) were decent human beings.

My older son is visiting New England and staying with a college friend of mine who lives outside of Boston. She showed him the town yesterday (God bless her!). She texted me, “Ben is a fine young man and lots of fun!” Sigh. Meanwhile, back here in sweltering Portland, my younger son spent a couple of hours working on my oldest brother’s computer. I texted my brother later and said Scott would be happy to come out again if need be. He texted back: “I think he helped a lot … he’s a good kid.” 🙂 (The smiley face is me, beaming.)

Becoming a parent is perhaps the only thing in my entire life that I can say, unequivocally, I have no regrets about. But raising kids is an inexact science and even, at times, a crap shoot. I’ve seen folks I consider far better parents than I watch in agony as their children struggle – with drugs, with financial problems, with mental illness, with life. I know that I am damned lucky that my children have not fallen off the edge of the world. Feedback from the universe that their moral compasses appear to be in good working order means everything to me…

I rail often against the inaccuracy/impersonal nature/quandary of communication by text but one thing going for it, it IS there in black and white, a testament, good or bad.

Yesterday, it was good. 🙂