Thank you Carrie Accardi!

Carrie — the parent of one of my daughter’s former school classmates — responded to my recent post about my struggling now-20-something daughter.

I’ll get into the details below, but how wonderful to hear from someone I haven’t connected with in a while:

“Stay strong and know that I consider you part of my beautiful badass warrior tribe of love women who I am so grateful crossed my path. Stay strong sister!”

Bad news: (1) She sent her response via Facebook Messenger because she was struggling to figure out the comment feature on my blog (arggggg); and (2) I hardly ever look at Facebook Messenger.

Technology dinosaurs cross wires LOL.

Good news:

I did find her message (if weeks late);

It reminded me that we build so many different communities as we parent our children; so many that we can’t/don’t always fully sustain them, and yet here is another fellow-traveler mom in midlife trying to do the same thing I am hoping to do — create connection, support, and community — for Carrie that has meant starting a peer mentoring nonprofit.

Her response to my post was generous and helpful — Carrie reassured me by sharing that her own, and friends’, kids have struggled, but are finding good ways to succeed without college.

She made the important point — with examples — that while COVID has wreaked havoc, it has also created lots of new options for our kids to live and work differently, remotely, less expensively, more creatively.

Keep these ideas coming Tribe!

Mostly, and best-ly, it reminded me that when we do the (often unglamorous and under-appreciated) work caring for our families… for our communities…

We leave a mark, and set the stage for deeper, more significant, and unexpected connections down the line! What a gift and a joy.

Thank you again Carrie.