The Mergenthaler Family

Letters from the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/tender-mercies

 Posted on Letters from the Nest on March 17, 2023 https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/how-are-you “How are you?” The soothing robotic car voice read the text to me as I drove to either pick up or drop off a kid from an activity or school or work--I can’t remember now because I’m in the “driving years” of parenting. I don’t usually reply to texts when I’m on the road unless it can be done with a simple voice message. With most people, I’d probably answer this question with, “Good, thank you. How are you?” But the text came from a friend with whom I hadn’t spoken in a while. Since she has been aware of some of my challenges in the past, I didn’t think a superficial answer would do. So, as I drove, I thought about my response. How was I? Honestly, not great. Functioning, yes. Checking the boxes. Completing the tasks. Showing up at the places. But, really, how was I? Is there such a thing as a high-functioning depressed person? How could I say things are hard without being whine...

 April 21, 2023 Letters From The Nest I enter a room to an onslaught of both crying and cackling. I have more than one kid, so this has happened more than one time. It’s the nature of family life--at least, it’s the nature of  our  family life. This time, the altercation involves a five-year-old boy and his 13-year-old brother. I look to the 13-year-old cackler for an explanation. “He totally deserves it.” Cackler cackles. “ You  deserve it!” Crier cries, cradling his elbow. “What happened?” I sit on the couch and scoop Crier onto my lap to check for damage.  Nothing serious, of course. The story comes out. Cackler closed Crier’s computer when Crier was just about to win the game of his life. Crier attempted to kick Cackler in the shin, but Cackler dodged, so Crier pulled back for a powerful punch to the part he could reach, which would cause the most pain (think of the height difference between a typical 5-year-old and 13-year-old boy and you can probably guess...

 May 19, 2023, Letters From the Nest https://lettersfromthenest.substack.com/p/book-hoarding The most frequently used app on my phone is not Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, or another commonly used form of social media. It’s not even messages. Sometimes, it’s Google or Apple Maps. But, usually, it’s Libby. Do you know what Libby is? Google says, “Libby is a free app where you can borrow ebooks, digital audiobooks, and magazines from your public library. . . and read anytime, anywhere. All you need to get started is a library card.” Guess how many library cards I have? Well, they’re not just mine--my kids are gracious enough to share with me--but I have eleven. I’m down a couple of cards since our oldest daughter graduated from BYU, and our oldest son’s local library card elapsed while he has been away in Argentina. Check out the recent stats from my library cards: Digital Books on hold: 180 Digital Books checked out:153 Physical Books Checked Out From Library:17 Physical Books On Hol...