Today is my grandma’s 123rd birthday. No, she is not here to celebrate. She passed away 40 years ago this August. Though I turned 12 just a few days before her passing, I have relatively few memories of her. She was placed in a nursing home when I was about 9 and spent the last few years of her life there. Though the facility was actually within walking distance of my home, I let one traumatic experience keep me from visiting as I should have. I regret that but also acknowledge I did the best I could at the time. This story isn’t really about that though. I have written quite a lot about my grandma – perhaps out a deep sense of guilt for not visiting – I am going to map out a rough sketch of the things I know.
Continue readingBad Advice
For some reason, this time of year
I am told to find joy in the snow
or “I will have less joy but still snow.”
Continue readingDid I miss something here?
Keeping with my family’s long standing tradition, we went to see a movie the day after Thanksgiving. We cleverly call this custom “the day after Thanksgiving movie.” We tend to lean toward more family oriented viewings. Some years we have a plethora of choices. Other years the pickings are slim. This year we opted for Moana 2. Now, if you have not seen the movie yet and it is on your to-do viewing list, you will probably want to stop right here. You can read about my take on the Little Mermaid instead. Don’t complain if I ruin the Little Mermaid for you because it has been over 30 years. I will not accept responsibility for any spoiler alerts on that one.
Moana 2 is a different story and we are entering spoiler alerts territory right now.
Continue readingSame Old Me
The Parable of the Boots
Any person studying the New Testament will come to know, appreciate, and love the many parables it contains. I have attempted to come up with my own – though I am quick to acknowledge my parables are obviously far more rudimentary. One of my attempts I call the Parable of the Boots.
Continue readingChristmas Truce
A story is often told,
of a bitter cold Christmas Eve.
Only 6 months into the war
witnesses later shared the lore
of an event hard to believe.
Continue readingPadding the Obit
I have reached a certain age. The age in which I apparently am starting to notice obituaries. For anyone younger than 30, this sounds morbid. For anyone older than 40, this probably sounds relatable. Not that I am seeking out obits to read. I’m not to that stage in the game. Yet. But the final write ups or the summation of a person’s life that I do read I am starting to take note. Note number one is: I better start padding my obit.
Continue readingThe Summer Walk
This summer,
when I walked a certain path,
I noticed a tall weed.
Nothing to impede its growth
it grew and grew.
Continue readingAdding it all up
For some reason, I started doing some math the other day. I’m not sure what prompted it because I am not one to randomly break out and decide to solve math problems. But I did the other day. And the math I did was more mind blowing than any equation or word problem thrown at me during school. I decided to figure out how old I was when my mom was the same age I am now.
Continue readingNot in My Wheelhouse
Have you ever thought – oh, dang!
When a word pops up everywhere
but how did it even get there?
Continue reading
ck's days 