Bring on the Wonder

Susan Enan

I can't see the stars anymore living here
Let's go to the hills where the outlines are clear

Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long

I fell through the cracks at the end of our street
Let's go to the beach, get the sand through our feet

Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long

Bring on the wonder
We got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls for too long

I don't have the time for a drink from the cup
Let's rest for a while 'til our souls catch us up

Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long

Bring on the wonder
We got it all wrong
We pushed you down deep in our souls, so hang on

Bring on the wonder
Bring on the song
I pushed you down deep in my soul for too long.

Introducing Me

Hello Pedron Kidlets!

I am Jennifer Swan Hopkins. Back when we were in high school your mom and I met and became close. As close as best buds can be I guess. My view of things was always a bit ornate and complex making understanding my place in the world unclear and kind of scary to me. I felt lost, overwhelmed and under loved, not to mentioned ugly, fat, insecure and my mother dressed me funny. My friend Jath (Kathy Johnson became "Jath", Jeni Swan became "Sweni") was the comb that smoothed the tangles and the sun that gave my sometimes-morose life highlights.

(Now that was a perfect example of my view and way of expressing it. See how I am? LOL.)

Long and short of it is that she was/is so bright, smart, funny, and motivated to accomplish something that I, the dreamer, was drawn and inspired to and by her. She made me laugh, still does. Her fiery energy fed me, helped me to look at things from a humorous, super-charged perspective, and left me in amazement trying to take it all in. She's like a tiny little powerhouse of purpose or something.

We "hung out" together a lot. Your mom represented what someone in high school is SUPPOSED to be like, I thought. Shoot, she even had a boyfriend! I didn't have a clue how to be, so I was happy to ride in her wake, the proverbial 3rd wheel. She taught me so much! We used to spend the night, babysit your cousin - do all sorts of stuff. We were friends.

My life changed at 15, and I moved away from good ol' Frank B. Kellogg Sr. High for my senior year, but (as I am wont to say) "that is another story". We touched each other's lives off and on over the next 30 odd years and only recently reconnected via Facebook.

FACT: Your mom and I have eerily and unknowingly paralleled each other's lives in some ways which has been really strange to discover. It's like a weird coincidence that we would do the same things, our choices echoing one another even after so many years and miles apart. Again, another story.

My purpose here is to introduce you to a different perspective about one of your parents, your mom, my bff, Jath. I want you to know something, and it is this: I love her and treasure the past we had, as well as looking forward to a future getting to know this older version, catching up on what I've missed and creating new memories. You see, you and I have something in common in that respect.


Briefly about me - I have 3 kidlets of my own. They are all grown up now and live in Minnesota.

• Adrienne (38) my only adored daughter is married to Doug and has given me 2 grandnaughties. Their names are Ben (12) and Maija (9). She has them in a French immersion school, between them they play violin/piano/cello/guitar, take karate, are in plays - in other words, she keeps them very active and is devoted to them. She is my hero.
• Collin (34) is single and is an electrician by trade. He is covered in tattoos! Collin is my sweetheart. He is the gentlest most sensitive and conscientious guy - but looks kind of scary to some people who don't know him. Great lesson there, looks CAN be deceiving.
• Jesse (32) is my baby. He is so smart and darling! Recently he has been remodeling a duplex he bought, has 2 kitties named Sasha and Merlin, and a girlfriend named Daphne. I have hopes they will get married and give me MORE grandnaughties, but one never knows.

As for me, I just moved to Tarpon Springs, Florida. I lost my "real" job 3 years ago due to the economy and a company-wide layoff, and started a couple of businesses. One of them is still going, it is called MaidenShade. I make and sell night lights, shades, faerie boxes and I write faerie tales. Artistically, I create a form of collage we'll call a tapestry - it is fabric art, mixed media and very unique.

I also have a blog, called MaidenShade Matters. It is a work in progress but will ultimately have a storefront where people can purchase things I create. I use this site for passing on interesting stuff I get in emails, recipes, I put on "how to's", jokes, and participate in meme's sometimes too. This is a more personal look at the MaidenShade Lady, and gives me a great outlet for self-expression.

If you've gotten this far then 'thank you'. That was a lot of information, but I wanted to give you a sense of who I am. Hey, your mom's my friend - we can't remain strangers!

With Great Expectations,
Sweni

Dear Kidlets,

I am writing this in the happy expectation that you are curious about me, will seek out information, knowledge about who I am, and why we are apart. There are some facts that have been kept from you, just as I have been kept from you. You have the right to know what happened in our lives, from my perspective. This means that as you all approach adulthood, I hope you will hear my truth. Healthy futures warrant a realistic impression of me, your mother, to carry you through your lives.

Let it all reign.