I am excited to announce the upcoming release of my second poetry collection! Grateful to River Dixon of Potter’s Grove Press and https://thestoriesinbetween.com/. He is a pleasure to work with, and I appreciate his encouragement and professionalism. Also, a big thank you to my son, Ryan, for the beautiful cover art.
Hope you will check it out! 💜
We grew up together. Cousins, a curious mix of family and friends. If I’ve ever talked to you about cousins, you know I have twenty-five first cousins on my mom’s side of the family! I love sharing that fact.
This group was enveloping. Some older, some younger, and some the same age. We played hard and fought sometimes. Learned how to hold babies when a new cousin came along. The older ones served as built-in babysitters.
Now, we’re all grown up. We each took our own path. Don’t see each other often, maybe at a funeral or a rare holiday visit. But when one is sick, as is currently the case, or facing challenges, there is a flood of memories and emotions.
In those moments, I picture us as kids again. Running and playing with no thoughts of accidents, cancer, or death. But reality snaps me back with one look in the mirror. The truth is unavoidable. We are no longer kids.
That truth mixes with our history, leaving me grateful that we grew up together. Leaving me wanting to say, I love you.
Sometimes an
Easy decision
Is difficult
To make-
Kind words
Well wishes
Sweet treats
Sending me
On my way to
New adventures
Goodbye
See you later
Bear Hugs
Tugging at my
Heartstrings
I’ve been here before–
Acknowledging
Each decision made
Affects more than
Just the decision-maker
On Monday, I am starting a new job! The work is different (more on that later,) but the place is familiar. Union Public Schools has been part of our family for twenty years. I am excited to be returning, although not as a teacher. In some ways, it feels like going home.
Saying goodbye to my current co-worker friends was bittersweet. I will miss them. ❤️
Yesterday, I saw
A red toaster
Flying
Down the road
Weaving
In and out
Of traffic
Passing by
All the other
Traveling
Appliances
On their way to
Who knows where…
Perhaps there was
A toast emergency
A loaf of sourdough
In need of
A red toaster
To ensure proper
Toasting
A golden brown
Layer of Goodness
Evenly covering
Each slice-
I can’t think of
Any other reason
A red toaster
Would be flying
Down the road, can you?
It is not an
Exaggeration to say
Some moments
It feels like
My heart
Might explode
Several chapters
Lived over time
Love, joy, grief
Converge at once
Holding hands
Across my story
One sweet sentence
From a paragraph
That I never
Want to forget
Though impossible
To clearly express
Lately, emotions seem to well up, catching me by surprise.
A sweet conversation with Mom. A moment of missing Dad. Crying on my husband’s shoulder. Chats with my adult children. Watching my son and daughter-in-law care for my granddaughter.
Both the enormity and the smallness of life collide. And I feel every single moment right in the center of my chest. ❤️
Words are stuck
Crawling
Through the fog
In my brain
Thoughts swirl
Bumping
Into each other
Vying for attention
Light approaches
Burning away the fog
Sorting through my thoughts-
Perhaps I should close
My heavy eyes
Lay my head back
And bask in the warmth
Of the Light on my face
Watching sweet Emi fall asleep is a gift. That transition from active to hungry to sleepy-we all know it well.
She doesn’t want to miss a thing!
I’ve used that phrase many times. And it’s true! Babies will sometimes work so hard to stay awake. Truthfully, we adults often do the same. Instead of listening to our tired bodies and minds, we keep pushing.
It’s ok. Lay your head back. Close your eyes. The world won’t stop spinning. 😉
There’s nothing quite so humbling as a drug test. I understand the necessity. And the one I took this week was not my first rodeo. This time, I just paid more attention to the details.
Leave your purse here.
Use that hand sanitizer.
Fill this cup to the 2-line.
You have four minutes.
Do not flush the toilet.
No difficulty following the directions. But then I discovered the sink was disabled…I couldn’t wash my hands. Walking out the door, I immediately reached for that original hand sanitizer.
You can wash your hands in the sink over there if you’d like.
Yes, I’d like. Do some people choose not to wash their hands? Decided not to dwell on that.
Leaving the testing facility, I realized everyone was being tested for a different reason. Some, like me, for a new job. Others, for not-so-fun reasons. Each had their own story. One worth telling, even if they hadn’t realized it yet.
The same day, I began listening to this week’s episode of This American Life, The Call. The subject was an unusual hotline set up for drug users. What are the odds? This is not your typical hotline. The purpose is to encourage people not to do drugs alone. Talk about a paradigm shift.
This story allowed personal looks through different lenses. The operator, the caller preparing to use drugs, and the paramedic. The point wasn’t to change the person using drugs. It was to keep them from using, and possibly dying, alone. To give them another day of life.
Sometimes the endings were happy, sometimes not. But in each story, there was dignity instead of judgment. Caring instead of disregard.
I will never forget this conversation between mother and daughter.
Daughter-What do you want from me?
Mother-It would be good if you didn’t die today.
Here’s the link, if you’d like to listen. https://www.thisamericanlife.org/809/the-call
Hi, Dad
I could feel
Myself speaking
But the words
Were inaudible
A slight smile
At my hesitation
A glance toward
The ground
Then on to
The task at hand-
Placing new flowers
On your headstone
Peaceful purples
And deep greens
We miss you
A bright yellow
Butterfly also
Fluttered by
To say hello
Mom and I enjoyed a nice drive and a sunny day. Temps were cooler and there was a nice breeze. As Mom wisely said- I will never not miss him. But life continues and we must keep living.
I’ve been thinking about visors this week. You know, the ones in your car? On bright sunny days, they protect my eyes from the blinding sun.
But what would I miss if I left that shade in the down position indefinitely?
On a recent morning drive, I realized the sun was no longer in my eyes, and the visor was still down. A quick flip-up revealed a beautiful sky with wispy white clouds.
The next day, I started to put the visor back down. After all, the sun would be in my eyes around the next corner. But only for a moment…
I left the visor up and glanced toward the light. It was glorious!
Are there times I keep my eyes partially covered? Afraid of what I might see. Missing opportunities to take in the world around me.
Yes, sometimes the world can be overwhelming, just like the bright sun. But other times, sunshine in my eyes, warming my face, makes me smile. Reminding me that I am alive and well. ☀️💛
Bright eyes
Focused
Little hands
Reaching
Tiny fingers
Learning to grasp
Such hard work
Heavy eyes
Fussy cries
Fighting sleep
Afraid of missing
A single minute
Held close
Rest comes
Giving in to
Sweet dreams-
I wonder
If she knows
She’s holding
My heart
As she sleeps
What a joy to have our family all together. We laughed, cried, and ate lots of good food. And, of course, our little granddaughter was the center of attention. I was thankful for the opportunity to hold her and get her to sleep. There is nothing like the sweet weight of a sleeping baby. Well, listening to her coo is pretty sweet, too.
Piano Girl 