The water in the small pool was calm and clear. Small pebbles were scattered along the bank. My two teenage daughters picked up flatish rocks and tried to skip them across the pond with somewhat limited success. My six-year-old son was content to watch for a few minutes. Then he picked up a rock and […]
I Wish it would splash Read More »
I belong to a writing group based in New York. Last Saturday I was given a challenge to write as if I were a grieving artist who was seeking healing through accessing a past life of someone who was connected to the sea in some way. I had 45 minutes to write. I chose to
My mother and my oldest sister Agnes both gave birth to boys at about the same time. Although they were the same age, Mark was actually David’s uncle. One day the two boys got into an argument. “He’s my Dad!” “He’s my Grandpa.” “My Dad!” “My Grandpa!” They were both right. I am right. Of
My oldest daughter was away at school. When she called to wish her younger sister a Happy Birthday, she lamented, “I didn’t get any birthday cake.” I cut a slice of cake as thin as I could. I put it in a Ziplock plastic bag and squished it as flat as I could. The sandwich
Downsize. Get rid of clutter. I was determined. I opened a box that I hadn’t looked at in over 30 years. The items inside were covered with soot. After the fire that destroyed our living room and after we moved back into our home, I had set this box aside to sort through later. Later
The Shoe that wouldn’t stay found Read More »
“There’s a scary noise,” she said. “It goes ker-thump, ker-thump, ker-thump. It’s on the stairs.” Agnes drug herself out of bed. She put a finger to her lips as a reminder to her daughter that they needed to be quiet. It would not be a good thing if she woke her father. They tiptoed out
A Thump in the Night Read More »
I finished addressing the envelope for the card I’d just signed. Then I needed to put a stamp in the upper right-hand corner of the envelope. Santa smiled up at me. Using Christmas stamps in March, I thought, is a reminder that I planned to send out a Christmas letter this year and never got
The green tissue paper had faded to an ugly greenish- gray. It had been a bright green when I folded it around the small milk carton. Fluffy white feathers were glued around the top. I remembered making this when I was in fifth grade. I saved my milk carton from school lunch and gathered the
Visiting my Grandmother Dudley was easy when I was four because she lived with us. I would take my orange (or an apple) to her. “Grandma, please peel this for me?” I watched as her knife went around and around and a long spiral of peel appeared. She could peel my fruit, keeping the peel
“Um. . . Do you give autographs?” I had just finished my Golden Tales of California storytelling program. The fourth-grade students were lined up to return to their classrooms when one boy slipped out of line to ask me that question. “Yes, if it’s all right with your teacher.” “I’ll get a paper and come
