She had an old, brown map of the world, framed and hanging over her TV. Stickpins with colored heads marked where she’d been and how many times. Lying on a twin bed in her nursing home room, she propped a … Continue reading 100 Words – a contest
I have unfairly judged North Idaho. Terms like “backwoods” and “redneck” most often come to mind, based on experiences during my five-year residency there—the same timeframe as my five-year marriage to a true North Idahoan. I’ve written off the panhandle … Continue reading Finding Ghosts and Beauty
The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2014 annual report for this blog. A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 2,400 times in 2014. If it were a cable car, it would take about 40 trips to carry that many people. Click here to see the complete report. Continue reading 2014 in review
At Christmastime, when the hot buttered rum and homemade toffee are plentiful and the holiday music is on 24/7, I always find myself telling people the one thing my ex-husband had right about me: he called me a Christmas Crackhead. … Continue reading What My Ex Had Right: A Christmas Reflection
March 2012 (Reprinted by popular demand!) Today, the girls found a dead little chipmunk in the road. When Abbey and Emily brought it home and were inspecting it in the yard, I suggested that they put it in a box … Continue reading Funeral for a Chipmunk
(Pulled this out from my “archives” and thought it was worth posting.) I sent Em to her room this morning for back talking. When she came out 10 minutes later, she was pulling a pink suitcase and said she was … Continue reading A 6-year-old tries out homelessness (for fun)
So many things in our world are upsetting. We have so many reasons to fear. But in the midst of us are these children of ours who are like sponges and we can help them soak up so much good: … Continue reading A Brighter Tomorrow for Today’s Parenting “Heroes”
Saori, a 15-year-old Japanese student whose name we would botch throughout her three-week stay in our home, brought many unexpected blessings to us this summer. I knew I liked her when her profile indicated she liked camping and hiking, and … Continue reading How Thanksgiving Will Never Be the Same
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