My siblings and I have all commented on our dad’s ability to meet friends. No matter where we go, people just gravitate to dad and become a friend. For him, a stranger is just a friend he hasn’t met yet. Continue reading
Advertisements
Sweet Memories
Things that go bump in the night
I’m trying to sleep.
Sleep must come, it must come now.
But it won’t come
when there are noises soft but loud. Continue reading
The Weekend Trip
The Set Up
A week after my oldest grand-nephew’s birthday he set a date for his baptism. His family lives 257 miles away. No problem! This is a special day so of course I wanted to be there. Not just me but most of my other family members were going to be there. Even his aunt who lives 10 hours away was making the trip. The date may have said the end of winter on the calendar but this is Wyoming so we prayed for decent weather which is Wyoming talk for decent roads. It was the first family gathering since Christmas and I was excited to see everyone. February had been particularly stressful so I was looking forward to a mini-vacation. I booked a hotel room and I had a book on CD to listen to on the trip. I looked forward to the weekend. Continue reading
That time I made my 20 year old self jealous
I have mentioned my country phase in the ‘90’s before. Yes, I rode the Garth Brooks’ wave into the country scene and became a die-hard fan. I dressed the part; I listened to the part; I even taught my two year old niece the part. Then something happened in the late ‘90’s when I decided my plunge in the CW world made me feel old. I can’t explain it. One day toward the millennium I felt I had missed out on a whole decade of music because I was so focused on only one brand. With a few exceptions (looking at you Reba and Lari) I boxed up or gave away my CDs. Put my cowboy boots in the back of my closet and essentially closed the door on my country-western phase. Continue reading
The Cowboy and the Kid
The cowboy might have been
a tough ranch hand
alone most days
set in his ways
a nomad roaming the land. Continue reading
Dear Ms. Necessary
I wrote this poem awhile ago and couldn’t get it quite right. It’s not my favorite but I like the story so I’m sharing it anyway. It’s what I call a snapshot poem where I try to use words to capture a moment. Here’s the moment: I accompanied my 82 year old father to the funeral of his first grade teacher. Her name really was Ms. Necessary and I thought with a name like that I needed to write something. Ms. Necessary ended up marrying and no longer was (I have to write it) Necessary. But for my dad she always was Ms. Necessary.
Dear Ms. Necessary’s
Reliance first grade class
was not her first time teaching
but it was far from her last. Continue reading
The Quest for Mary
Sometimes you just have to believe that maybe you are being guided on a certain path for an unknown reason. Maybe the only reason is to bring a smile to your lips and warm your heart. But sometimes you just have to think maybe, just maybe, this series of events is more than a coincidence. Sometimes it’s bigger than you. Sometimes. Here is one of those times for me. Continue reading
In Mom’s Steps
“Am I like grandma?” I used to ask my mom ad nauseam. “Tell me about grandma.” My grandma T died before any of her grandchildren were born and I missed having a grandma. Without any consideration for my mom having to bring up memories about her beloved mother I used to beg her to tell me about grandma T. In my defense, I didn’t understand and couldn’t comprehend how sometimes talking about the deceased can be a painful experience. That was a lesson I could only learn by unfortunate experience. So when I was young, I pleaded for information about this absent woman whose blood ran through my veins. I guess I yearn for connections and I needed to know if grandma would have liked her granddaughter. In a way, I am still searching for connections. Continue reading
I am a Stowaway
I like family history. I’m just not any good at it. There is a particular family legend on my mom’s side that we have shared and are kind of proud of it. There is a chance that it may not be true. But even if part of it is true, oh, what a story!
A High School Lesson I Remember
During a high school science class, we were asked to conduct an experiment. My partner and I chose to focus on the effects of words. It was a rather simple test. We took two seeds and planted them in separate containers. We made sure each received the same amount of nutrients – water and sun. Continue reading
