I've always wanted to have a lot of kids. My mom courageously bore six of us, eight if you count the two that miscarried. I always try to remember them, too. Growing up with so many of us was like having my own little group of friends. That's not to say we didn't have real friends over. Hardly. But we grew up so emotionally close to each other that the need for outside friends was dampened.

Sunlight dapples the ground, sifted to the forest floor by layers upon layers of thick, green branches. The busy, noisy world is nearby. So close you can almost feel it pressing closer. But here, with the tall graceful trees and the whispering of the wind, it is peaceful. Quiet. Nothing hurries here...

I was reading articles online the other day and they reminded me why I spent my youth differently from my peers. I have never understood why our current culture is so "into" the dating game. It is entirely illogical to think that spending years going from relationship to relationship during your youth will somehow prepare you for the reality of a marriage relationship.