1. I was raised a Mormon Military Brat. We moved a lot, as a result I could pick up and go at any second. For a job or out of boredom I have sold everything I owed to relocate as an adult four times already. I am only 33-years-old.
2. I am a journalist by profession. I resent my previous employers for not allowing me to work from home when I became a mother. I am a writer and since the invention of e-mail there is really no reason to make me come to the newsroom 40 hrs a week. I think it’s “motherism” as my employer allowed a man to work out of his home but denied my request. I’ve not found my female employers any more supportive of working from home than my male bosses. But, I do resent them more.
3. I got married when I was 17-years-old. That was a stupid thing to do. I totally believe in divorce and thank God every day that by 19 I was smart enough not to make my childish mistake a permanent one. I didn’t marry again until 27.
4. After my child-bride experience I found that I was unwilling to change my name back to my father’s name and unwilling to keep my ex-husband’s name and unwilling to take any future husband’s name. I went to court and dropped all the last names that made my identity relational to the men in my life. I decided to have an identity that did not change with my marital status. My given name at birth was Tracee Sue and I thought Sioux would look better in print – well, I AM a writer so it DOES matter how marketable my name is. I was only 19 when I divorced so it seemed inevitable that I would eventually get married and have kids again. But, it did not seam reasonable at all to change my identity in any way, including my last name. So, I am Tracee Sioux. Legally now and forever. It is not a nom deplum – Sioux is my legal last name and it is who I am.
5. I witnessed 9-11 when I was 8 months pregnant with my first child. I was on my way to work. What strikes me now about the experience is that as a reporter my first instinct was to buy a disposable camera and report on it. I got a shot of the second plane hitting the building. I wasn’t close enough for anyone to buy the shot. The second thing that sticks with me is how worried I was that I was going to be late for work and how my boss might be annoyed with me – as if for the first few hours the shock was so complete that I didn’t understand the magnitude at all and went about my normal business like buying a chocolate donut.
6. I went to Lithuania after college to teach English, I wanted to travel and had been a political science major with an interest in the breakdown of the Soviet Union. Lithuania was a brand new democracy.
7. I’m grateful beyond belief for my current opportunity to work from home blogging. I feel like this is a “calling” for me. I’m pretty intensely spiritual about my So Sioux Me website and my work at b5media writing BlogFabulous to empower people and especially women. It’s my path, my personal legend, my way of being part of the soul of the world, my way to affect the collective consciousness.

So I’m tagging Therapydoc at Everyone Needs Therapy, Steve at Inside Fatherhood, Karen at Thrifty Mommy, Cory and Kerri at Marriage Actually, Kate at Babylune, Karen at Live the Power and Courtney at Courtney Tuttle. Consider yourselves Memed by Tracee Sioux at So Sioux Me and BlogFabulous.

Post from: Blisstree

I’ve Been Memed

I want to share with everyone that my 3 day fast (I previously wrote about it – scroll down) was a total success.

Last night my husband came home from his spiritual retreat a new man. He was without anger, resentment and arrogance. He was the man I used to know. The man I love and fell in love with. Boy have I missed him. He wrapped his arm around me just as I had prayed he would. He loved me. He saw me. He liked me. He loved me. Those of you who have read my posts about our marriage in my other blog So Sioux Me will know that his M.O. is withholding love and affection to get what he wants. So, just the presence of love and affection was a much desired and much prayed for miracle that can only be explained through divine intervention.

We didn’t talk much. I am going on the same spiritual retreat this coming weekend and a bit of secrecy is required. He asked if he could come home and I said of course. He said we would talk about the logistics of our life after my retreat and that he would just spend the next few days loving me. I’m more than happy to accept that for now. I’ll accept it with a grateful heart that my prayers were heard.

I’m really glad I fasted for 3 days. I feel like it really helped me focus on what I wanted to happen verses what I was afraid might happen. Another nasty little emotional habit of mine that I’m giving up – focusing on what I don’t want to happen instead of what I do want. I wasn’t even really hungry. I was a little tired and went to bed early at night. But, I was completely able to take care of my kids and feel a sort of surreal faith that God was going to fix what I had discovered that I could not fix.

Post from: Blisstree

Grateful Heart