Welcome to Families First Monthly

From The Heart

After a long cold winter spring is here to greet us, and what a thing of beauty. The hardiest first flowers pop up and unfurl their hellos. Some are so tiny you’ll need to look closely. Later, tulips of all colors and varied daffodils and jonquils chime in along with splashes of pink, purple, blue, and white hyacinths. Forsythia waves the brightest yellow as the grass becomes greener with each passing day. By early May my front yard turns into a carpet of bright blue. The former owner planted squill and the blooms create a buzz for the bees and the passers by (and a respite from getting the mower out).

This issue has a definite mom focus due to Mothers Day. Please enjoy reading each of the stories. Women young and old oftentimes are conduits of love for our lives and society. On that note I celebrate the life of my 99 1/2 year old Grandmother Carrie McMachen who was born in August 1918. She died peacefully in March of this year. She left our family a fine legacy. In this issue our youngest writer Annaka (Teen Talk) attended the March for Our Lives in Washington DC. In her column she talks about having Lock Down Drills in her Traverse City school and not taking them too seriously—until. She and her friends found a lightbulb of relatable connectedness to their Florida peers. What if? And so she was compelled to be a part of the asking for help to change things for better.

When I was a child I wrote a song inspired by the war in Vietnam I viewed on the nightly news. Some horrific thing must have moved me, but I do remember feeling so sad. The title of the song was I’m Only Twelve. It went like this:

I’m only twelve — But I’m old enough to realize.
I’m only twelve — But I’m old enough to criticize.
The world having war — And I don’t want no more of it.

Celebrate women young and old and celebrate men. We all need to hold each other in love and light. My statement could sound a bit snowflaky, but winter is over and spring is here, so let’s change to flakes of light and love.

Thank you for reading

Laura Lee Kalchik