Lots of people are changing gender these days. And I get the notion of being born in the wrong body. But it got me thinking. Would I rather be a guy? How would it feel ambling through life with better pay, more corporate and political clout, not to mention a bigger, stronger body? Would I chuck […]
I had lunch with my mother recently. We laughed. We kvetched. We became teary-eyed over my recently-deceased father. We lamented over the world’s problems. I couldn’t help realizing what a great mother she’s been all my life. And that got me thinking. What makes a great mother? What are those special qualities? Is love enough? […]
You think they’re just wooden structures. Containers, made to hold people and possessions. Houses don’t have souls, I thought. Until I drove by our old home of ten years and my heart broke. This beloved, beautiful ranch had been abandoned. It was now the neighborhood eyesore, creepy and neglected with broken windows and peeling paint. […]
I watch him shuffle around the house and push back the sadness. He doesn’t have much time. There’s nothing left for him. Simon’s thirteen-years-old and in constant pain. His back legs are bent and twisted. He’s almost blind and deaf. Still, I look at this dog and hate what I have to do. My […]
You think you know how you’ll feel, but you don’t. When someone close to you dies, sometimes you react differently than expected. When my father passed last Sunday, I was ready to feel one way. But surprisingly, five unexpected emotions tugged at me. Happiness for him – My 82 year-old father was released from an […]
You walk the halls with other dazed-looking family members and wonder what brought you to this strange facility called hospice. It’s a place of intersections. On one hand, it’s the world of the living –busy and bustling with plans and schedules. On the other,it’s the world of the dying, the silent, unknowable spirit world. Here are […]
The other day my son Paul suggested something so disturbing, so cringe-inducing, so horrific, I had to hold onto my kitchen counter for support. “I need a new bureau. Let’s go back to Ikea.” All I could do was shake my head, repeating the word, “No.” I cannot. I will not go back to IKEA […]
Have you ever wanted to tell someone something, but the words never came? Maybe you were embarrassed or got busy, but the moment didn’t arrive. And then it was too late. And you have regrets. This happened to me recently. Here are 6 things I wish I had told Joyce, my mother-in-law. You amazed me– From the first moment my […]
None of us know when we’ll be tested in life. Some tests are big. Some are small. A test my husband Randy will never forget came on a June night, involving several confused neighbors, two police cruisers, and a Chihuahua named Poopsie. That late afternoon I’d brought Poopsie home from the pound. Our two little […]
