IMG_0235 She was terrified her entire life. And I mean terrified. My mom loved going out more than anything in the world. Yet on her last outing—dining in front of the water’s edge, followed by going for her beloved Carvel—because it had gotten dark on the way for her sundae, she wouldn’t look at her […]
We were having SO much fun! And then Funk killed it. I recently visited my Aunt Jan and Uncle Carl—the last of my elder relatives. We met at a restaurant and then followed their son’s car back to the Airbnb where they were staying. The bonfire pit in the backyard called to my cousin Chris […]
Thanksgiving has always been one of my favorite holidays. My version of the holiday. A time to celebrate with the family I’ve created—community, if you will—and recognizing the gifts Mother Earth has provided. Show my gratitude for those treasures, and for having people to share them with. Because really, what’s the use of having anything […]
Swinging meat. That doesn’t refer to the grocery delivery Funk and I received during the initial panic of Covid. There was no meat in that order. It refers to Kansas City’s former mayor. More specifically, his apparatus. It hasn’t been easy to overcome my life-long bout of hypochondria, and the pandemic hasn’t helped. My husband […]
“Is your sister really as nice as she seems?” I asked. “She’s even better.” My cousin John didn’t even pause before saying that. A year later, I’m still blown away whenever I recall the exchange, as John has the type of relationship I long for. It’s the kind I want with all my connections on […]
More surreal things keep happening. But this one is something good. My book made it to the “Top-Rated Authors Reading List” that’s affiliated with Good Housekeeping magazine. Whaaaat?!!! From the bottom of my heart, thank you Lee Wind of
,Assault rifles carried by ordinary citizens, inside State Legislative Chambers in Michigan. ,How are our representatives supposed to work under those conditions? If guns are for our safely, how was a rifle necessary in that circumstance? Where was the danger? ,How is this okay?
I grew up in a violent home, and the world outside matched it. President Kennedy was gunned down. And then his brother Robert. Martin Luther King Jr. was obliterated from earth. There were riots over Civil Rights. Women’s Liberation. The Vietnam War. No wonder I suffered from anxiety. Most people would find it hard to […]
My ass has fallen. Literally. The cosmic audacity of it. In my early twenties, I gave up my first love. A love that was so pure—if there was any way to trade the pros and cons—I would’ve given up Funk to keep smoking. But I couldn’t. Which is why, 40 years later, I’m still with […]
I’ve never sung to anyone before. But I sang to my mother. Sitting beside her coffin, my hand resting on her cold, cold shoulder, I stared at her new form, feeling all crumpled and small. The computer played softly on a nearby flower stand, the music already queued for when her guests arrived. In a […]
