It’s Peggy O’Mara’s birthday today!

As the former editor and publisher of Mothering Magazine, she gave creative, gentle, natural and informed parenting a place in mainstream media before we had Facebook groups, Google hangouts and Pinterest to help network and spread information and ideas- and connections, too.

Mothering was the only magazine I’ve ever opened and thought “That could be my life right there!” I’ve opened magazines and thought “That could be my life right there…. if I was abundantly wealthy, got plastic surgery, spent all my time on myself, had staff to manage the house I obviously don’t have time for anymore (because, hel-LO! MEEE!!) had no kids or a full-time nanny, and could hire Jamie Oliver to do Naked Chef stuff (bow chicka- hey! I’m talking about FOOD, here, self. Mostly.) so I could eat well and not have to cook or clean, but I digress…

Woo! Is it hot in here? Oh wait, yes it is. It’s almost 100 effing degrees in California today. Dammit, I’m digressing again. I’m going to have to change my name to “The Digressive Parent”… Shit, I’m doing it again! Squirrel! >smh<

Okay. AHEM. Anyhow…

One of the quotes that really stayed with me – and I am eternally grateful I took to heart- is on the picture below. (I was just going to share it on Facebook, but I’m trying to force myself to write more and that hopefully explains the short, sweet and random of it.)

I am a better person and parent because she used (and currently is using here) her voice to make a gentler world for our kids to grow up in and it’s part of the reason I continue to use mine; the other part is because I’ve seen that happier, softening change and growth in my children and myself. It means to WORLD to me that Patrick’s was built of that same love for his short time here.

Thank you, Peggy, for the gift of your writing, love and advocacy. Thank you for making me better, for helping me parent better, for helping me help others to do the same. May you have many more happy, healthy years ahead of you- you will be admired and respected for all of mine.