Family and Friends

A Child’s Awareness of the Secrets of Death

On March 15, 2022 / Bereavement and End of Life, Family and Friends / 17 Comments

Daddy was sad and quiet. Mommy cleared her throat and dabbed her eyes with a tissue. Uncle Jim and Aunt Martha arrived without my cousins. I was 9 years old and soaked in impending doom, but no

The Mystical Magic of a Waterfall

On January 4, 2022 / Family and Friends, Nature / 18 Comments

My son David arrived from his home in North Carolina a few days before Christmas. We’d planned good food, mellow vibes, and hikes. Two years of Covid made visits rare, so it was a gift to be

Winter Dreams of Love and Loss

On December 21, 2021 / Bereavement and End of Life, Family and Friends / 16 Comments

I dream I’m searching for healthy food in a large cafeteria, but can’t find nutritious food or even green tea and feel confused and lost. I turn around and my dead husband Vic stands facing me, masked

Like a Cowgirl: A Child’s Holiday Hope

On December 7, 2021 / Family and Friends / 14 Comments

I know what I want for Christmas. I want to be a cowgirl just like Dale Evans. I want boots, a vest with tassels, and a cowgirl hat. I want a horse like Buttermilk. Creamy, gentle, a

Six Generations of Resilient Women

On November 23, 2021 / Family and Friends / 22 Comments

Who were these stern faced women dressed in black? Did they find joy in marriage or in staying single? Were they worried at night about their children and the crops? Did they write letters to family left

The Great Mother Made Peach Ice Cream

On August 31, 2021 / Family and Friends / 21 Comments

With the constant anguish of collective life from covid, climate change, racism, and war, I call on the Great Mother to be with me and comfort me. This week, she appeared–not as a winged Goddess from Greece,

Until the End

On July 6, 2021 / Bereavement and End of Life, Family and Friends / 17 Comments

“I’ll stay until the end,” Lauren said. We knew what “the end” meant, but didn’t know when it would come. Doctors said any minute, but my husband hung on. Vic had gone downhill quickly, so our sons

Grief Rituals Keep Our Family Love Alive

On May 25, 2021 / Bereavement and End of Life, Family and Friends / 24 Comments

“I love you, David,” I say when my North Carolina son arrives on Thursday night. Because of the pandemic, I haven’t seen him for 8 months, so I wrap my arms around him and press my cheek

Eros and Arrows of Love

On April 13, 2021 / Bereavement and End of Life, Family and Friends / 17 Comments

“I can’t stop,” I said, choking out the words between my tears. “I just can’t…” Erotic attraction had been a big part of our lives since we met the year before at the beginning of my senior

I Rescued a Puppy and She Rescued Me

On March 2, 2021 / Family and Friends / 29 Comments

Each night around 9 pm, Disco watches my every move. Her eyes say, “Isn’t it time to go upstairs so I can put my head on your belly while you read? Isn’t it time to snuggle?” I’ve