An Explanation and an Announcement
On a Writing Hiatus
Dear readers,
Please forgive my lapse in writing, as the past few months have brought with them a number of challenges.
Jaad and I went home to New Orleans in April for a long visit that proved to be a difficult transition for us both. While it was good to be reunited with family and friends again, our time there was rather unruly and left no room for writing.
We returned to Lisbon at the end of June and we’ve been settling back into life here.
But there’s more…we’ve also been preparing for the arrival of Jaad’s baby sister!
It’s been a slow process.
In the beginning of my second trimester, I started experiencing Sacroiliitis which can often affect women during a second pregnancy, and it has brought with it intense back pain that has slowed me down significantly.
However, I am staying true to my motto for the year which is - it’s better to go slow than not at all.
And boy have I been going slow. I have seen many a sweet old’ ladies passing me by walking up these Lisbon hills lately. And I have to say it - the summer heat in the last months of pregnancy has been no joke.
But one of the things I appreciate most about living in Portugal is that people pay a great amount of care and attention to pregnant women and mothers with young children.
That often comes in the form of people kindly offering their seats on public transportation, insisting that you skip the grocery store or bathroom line, and in my case, the line for gelado!
Another thing I admire and often take time to revel in is elderly people who pause in the street to offer well wishes to pregnant women or dote on young children.
When I was pregnant with Jaad, I learned the Portuguese phrase ‘uma hora pequenina’ which literally translates to ‘a little hour’ but is a phrase that is often said to wish women a short and smooth birth.
This time around I have been delighted to learn another phrase: ‘Vai ser um casal’. Often people will ask if I’m having a boy or a girl, and when I say I’m having a girl, or ‘uma menina’, the typical follow up question is if it’s my first or second, and when I say, ‘Tenho um filho’, or ‘I have a son,’ they respond with a smile and say, ‘Vai ser um casal!’ which means ‘It will be a couple!’ or “Vai ser um casalinho” which is ‘a little couple’. (The Portuguese like to add “zinho” or “inho” to the end of just about everything and anything to sweeten a sentence.)
I never tire of hearing this expression and it is one of the nuances of Portuguese language that I enjoy the most.
With that being said, we are expecting our baby girl to arrive by September 5, (or earlier!), and I will be on a writing hiatus until the end of the year. So before I hobble off to newborn land, I’d like to share a few updates with you:
I deeply appreciate your support of my writing. If you are a paid subscriber and would like to pause or cancel your subscription, please send me a message and I will gladly take care of that for you! You have the option to pause for 1, 3, or 6 months.
You can expect one more very special letter in your inbox before September. I will also be publishing an essay for you on the enduring power of friendship in October that I submitted to a few magazines last year with the help of my brilliant editor, Anne.
Our Global Girls Book Club will take a break in September and October, but we’ll plan to have one more gathering before the end of year. If you are a part of our book club, stay tuned for the next book and meeting details!
As always, thank you - my beloved readers - for your presence with me through the many seasons these past two years of Substacking have brought. I wish you a joyous day where ever you are on this Summer Sunday.
Love,
Summer
A little Summer??? Congratulations darling! Can’t wait for her arrival 🫶🏽