Life

There’s a picture of us somewhere, unless I tore it up already. In this photo we’re dressed up — I’m pretty sure it was my daughter’s sweet sixteen — and he’s leaning over, whispering something in my ear and to the outside world, to people other than us, it’s an endearing picture, one in which they imagine he is softly, gently, telling me something…

One day I stood at the ocean’s edge. It was winter, I was the only one on the beach. I wore a thick, long Green Bay Packers jacket over a sweatshirt and jeans. I had no gloves, no…

I was probably about eight when I realized it. I wasn’t like my friends. I wasn’t like Lori, who was charming and outgoing and had dazzling blue eyes. I wasn’t like Julie, who was…

measured

I was in Bed Bath & Beyond — a mistake on a Saturday afternoon — looking for a frame when I came upon a whole section of framed inspirational quotes. I’ll state right off that I hate inspirational quotes. They almost always make me cringe. But I read every one of these framed instances of pithiness, and I felt…

$$$$

The sound the grocery store credit card machine makes when you insert your card is one of alarm; it is negative, angry, offended. I know it is just…

this year

I am going to make it through this year
if it kills me
- mountain goats

There’s still four months left in the year and I’m ready to usher it out. It hasn’t been a particularly bad year for me personally, in fact things have been…