Mercy from our Families
My grandfather taught me how to signal across the room, a sign that all was well and that he loved me. A grin accompanied with a longer blink, subtle and yet clear as day. I doubt anyone else would have seen it. We had a family whistle, too, a way to find each other in […]
Back Porch Conversations
When Dale and I first met, he was dating a woman in Canada and I was engaged to marry a guy in Virginia. Nevertheless, we found ourselves easy conversationalists despite our prejudices. Mine: 26?! Golly, he’s old. His: Her poor fiancé! We were thrown together over lunch to meet and talk, just an afternoon. Or so we thought. […]
How Beauty Made Me Sober
When I was in kindergarten, I remember seeing the janitor carrying a bundle of day old balloons. They didn’t look old to me at the time or my classmates. The entire class was lined up watching those balloons. In the janitor’s eyes, these balloons probably meant trash. But he must have seen the light in my eyes […]
The Bodies We Keep
In your 20’s everything is smoke and mirrors. When I was in my 30’s, I couldn’t see the signs. But in your 40’s, it begins to shows, certainly by the 50’s and 60’s. Into your 70’s you’re practically an open book. I know 80-year-olds who might as well be billboards. The older we get, our […]
