TG celebrates!

Today is one of my favorite days... it is my younger son's birthday! Maximo Francis De la Cruz made his debut to the world at 3:10 a.m. on Tuesday, May 20, 1997. He weighed just under 8 pounds (7 pounds 15 3/4 oz) and was 21 inches long. His dad and I, his Nana and his beloved Tia were there to welcome him.

Max will get gifts and cake and we will celebrate him today but the real gift is him and I, the recipient. I am blessed by his "old soul" and cheerful attitude. He is empathetic and kind, intuitive and smart and he has an amazing work ethic. He is protective of those he loves and cares very much about doing the right thing, about making a difference. Max is affectionate and incredibly patient with his goofy mother. I call him my "son"shine and treasure every moment with him. I cannot believe he has blessed us for 17 years, I cannot wait to see how amazing the next 17 X 17 years will be.

I love you, Max. You are truly my pride and joy and I am so glad I was chosen to be your mom. I love having this day to celebrate wonderful you!

5 months old with Aunt Linda

His first fish, Spring 2008

15th birthday, 2012

TG gets a hint of Hint Fiction

In January of 2011, at my stepmother's surprise 60th birthday party, I fell in love. Romantic huh? Except the object of my affection and desire was no mere man, rather it was a small, squarish green book titled "Hint Fiction" and in it were short stories. Short short stories. Short as in 25 words or less. Short as in magically enticing. Short as in "Wait, I want more!" The book was a gift from my father but it barely graced my stepmother's hands... I practically confiscated it and ran. No more polite conversation, no more chit-chat or cake or - gasp! - wine. I assumed my protective reading pose and went for broke.

Upon arriving home that evening I ordered my own copies, copious amounts of them. I ordered them for coworkers and friends and with which to line my bookshelf. I gave them away like candy on Halloween. And then, then I started writing them. Every where... on notepads at work, in the memo app on my phone, one in eyeliner on my makeup mirror. I couldn't get enough. And still can't, I re-read the stories over and over. I contemplate them, create endings and beginnings and people for them. And last week, I submitted two that I had written for the new contest and I am off on another "Hint Fiction" journey. This time around the stories are more confident, less melancholy, even funny (I hope!).

Try it, you'll like it. It is much easier than you first think. And you will be surprised at how addictive it is. You, too, will write them everywhere. You will find inspiration in the littlest things and begin to make sense of the biggest questions. And if you write some, share them with me, I'd love to read them. Below is one of the ones I wrote when I first caught the Hint Fiction bug:

May is Mental Health Awareness Month!

Do you know what a Serious Mental Illness (SMI) is? 

• A mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder (excluding developmental and substance use disorders);
• Diagnosable currently or within the past year;
• Of sufficient duration to meet diagnostic criteria specified within the 4th edition of theDiagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV);
• Resulting in serious functional impairment, which substantially interferes with or limits one or more major life activities.

One in four adults in the United States, approximately 61.5 MILLION people, experience mental illness in a given YEAR. Over 13 million Americans live with a serious mental illness: 2.4 million with schizophrenia, 6.1 million with bipolar disorder, 14.8 million people with major depression, and 18.1 with anxiety disorders. Of those, 9.2 million have co-occurring disorders (more than one diagnosis).

Pretty scary, right? You might even think - that is a lot of crazy people in this country! Don't call them crazy though, that isn't really nice. I know, because I am one of the 9.2 million with a co-occurring diagnosis. I have Major Depressive Disorder and Generalized Anxiety Disorder. I saw my first therapist as a pre-teen. I have been suicidal. I have been a walking wreck. But I am not now. I am well, in remission. Because of organizations like NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) and insurance (shout out for Kaiser Permanente Behavioral Healthcare) and family and friends who love me not despite of my illness but including my illness. Big difference there.

So why should you care about Mental Health Awareness Month? Well... being aware is a good thing. Being aware reduces stigma and being aware increases understanding. It also can save money: SMI costs $193.2 billion (with a B - $193,200,000,000.!!!) annually just in lost wages. I don't know about you but I could have so much fun with all those zeroes... even if you lopped a few off, I could still have fun. So if you don't care about mental Illness because it is the educated, empathetic thing to do, care about it because it saves a lot of moolah!

I got my statistics from NAMI's Facts and Numbers cheat sheet, read it, you will learn something, I promise. And smile at someone who is frustrating you or offer a literal or figurative hand to someone obviously struggling. Because even if someone is mentally ill (not crazy, don't forget to drop that word from your vocabulary), they are someone. Someone like me who laughs and cries and loves. Someone who works hard and appreciates naps and loves the sound of the ocean. Because I guarantee you that you know someone like me and that your kindness will be appreciated more than you could know.

Oh, one more important thing... Green is the color of Mental Health Awareness, which is why I am typing in it and wearing it, too!