I had stopped at the post office to mail some packages to family members and used their machine to avoid the lines. It had been a stressful week, and I was tired and distracted.

Once that mission was completed, it was off to the next store to pick up the last three gifts. I found what I wanted quickly and easily and was thrilled to be finally done for the day before dark. At the check stand, I dug for my wallet to pay for my purchases and there was no wallet to be found! I had just gotten a new one two weeks before and I loved it. It was a faux snakeskin that I had gotten at Costco and it felt so yummy! For me, it was expensive at $25.00, so I was doubly disappointed.

My heart jumped into my throat. This cannot be happening – especially right now!

It’s fascinating to me that the latest explosion in the sex toy market is happening in the Northern climes of the Bible Belt. This could be a reflection on activities of those dis-employed in big factory regions, or that there is more playful and open attitude around sexploration, especially for women, evolving even amonst the bastions of temperance and sexual supression from Victorian morays.

In our desire to transcend violence, below is something I am calling the Mother’s Day Manifesto. It is a call to empowerment. It is a call to all women to stand up for yourselves, your husbands and your children — to affirm your part in the call for peace in the world.

You say Mo’Nique & Sidney Hicks in open relationship? What is all the hubbub? C’mon, this is nothing new! People have been stepping out of and exploring alternative relationship models since the beginning of time! Since the 60’s, these ideas have been more out in the open than ever! There have been oodles of books and there has been a groundswell of ever-so-slightly underground movements delving into sexual and relationship modalities in every direction.

I am in the second month of the hiatus period on my Amberen journey. Since this journey began, there were months when I had a menses and months when I did not. Interestingly, since the hiatus, I have had a period these last two months.