Tag: family

Love, Loss, and Remembering

I drew and painted a lot of whitetail deer art during the 1980s. Even when I became a college art student, much to the vexation of one of my professors who was stuck in Abstract Expressionism Art mode. I loved watching deer outside my windows, and I became a student of capturing every aspect of … Continue reading Love, Loss, and Remembering

Dark Night of the Soul

After a death in my family earlier this month, I took some time away from writing, making art, and blogging. I needed time away to get back in touch with the world outside the bubble I’d created for myself. Despite the sad occasion, it was a joy to see and visit with family who live … Continue reading Dark Night of the Soul

Three Days Later

It’s three days after my birthday and I’m quietly reflecting on my mom’s birthday. Her birthday is today and she would have been 85. She was 17 when I was born, after her doctor told her she couldn’t give birth to any children. We proved him wrong that day. My earliest memories of my mom … Continue reading Three Days Later

In Memory of My Mom, Poem 2023-0608

My mom died 18 years ago on Wednesday, June 8, after complications from surgery. She was 66. When she died, I wrote the following poem for her funeral. In Memory of My Mom In this lamentful family moment When heads of the living are slumped forward, Tears flowing, Tongues completing tender prayers — our final … Continue reading In Memory of My Mom, Poem 2023-0608

Reminiscing, part 3

I’m still peeking at old photos and reminiscing about the past. (You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.) I plan to wrap this up today so I can get other jobs done. Pictures are time machines that can whisk us immediately to earlier times. I have photos of my childhood that includes … Continue reading Reminiscing, part 3

Reminiscing, part 2

I’m still peeking at my old photos when I should be labeling their storage boxes. I can’t help reminiscing when I do. (You can read Part 1 here.) I see old photos of an entrepreneurial boy trying to earn quarters. Quarters were important pieces of silver to us kids because we could buy a long-neck … Continue reading Reminiscing, part 2

Reminiscing, part 1

I find wintertime the best time to get on top of my plans and goals. January and February are typically the two coldest and snowiest months where I live. Leaving the house can be a chore and a half when it snows: Getting in and out of snowsuits and boots, shoveling the stuff, battling drifts … Continue reading Reminiscing, part 1