News of the day

Packing up your life (especially 5 turbulent years of your life) is really quite exhausting, emotionally. Unfortunately, my travels across the internet this morning have just made me even more so. But on a happy note, BBC journalist Alan Johnston was freed today!

BBC's Alan Johnston is released

Mr Johnston said his time in captivity was the worst of his life

BBC correspondent Alan Johnston has been released by kidnappers in the Gaza Strip after 114 days in captivity.

Mr Johnston, 45, was handed over to armed men in Gaza City. He said his ordeal was like "being buried alive" but it was "fantastic" to be free.

Speaking live from Jerusalem later, he thanked those who had supported him, and vowed to return to "obscurity".

Rallies worldwide had called for Mr Johnston's release. An online petition was signed by some 200,000 people.

That was nice news. I'm assuming he'll write a book about his experiences. If so, I plan to read it. There is a rant building in me about how Americans are kept from much of the news in the Middle East (and let's face it, not too worried about it), but I will not rant, as much as I want to.

The article which caused me to weep, openly, was from the NYT in November. Harriet Brown is a writer who has a daughter living with (and recovering from) anorexia. She's a very strong writer, extremely passionate about what she talks about, and I am following her blog, Feed Me. She's local to me, and our kids (her youngest and my oldest) went to the same daycare years ago, so I think I'm feeling connection to her story on that level as well. Also, as she relates her daughter's and their family's struggle, it really reminds me of my own struggle with depression and bi-polar disorder, and has been giving me ideas about how to strengthen my own family despite those struggles.

So.

I'm feeling verklempt (wait, I swear I looked that up before, but it's not turning up - probably it's a misspelling - Mike Meyers didn't make it up, did he?).

Talk amongst yourself(selves).