I found the crayon-drawn picture lying on a chair, during my hurry-and-pick-up-the-house-cleaning. Time tightened before guests arrived, and the house reflected the chaos of muddy shoes and thrown pillows. I’d read its message on Mother’s Day, when my grandson handed it to me, but I needed it more today. This day, when I deserved it […]
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I tilted my head a bit to look for myself in his stick figure drawing. I wondered is this truly how he saw me? “Is that me?” I asked. He nodded. He held a felt tip marker in a small hand stained with reds and greens. He waited. Proudly. Seriously. Expectantly. I went for the, […]
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Somewhere in the middle of dodge ball tag and baking cookies with three grandsons, my youngest grandson cocked his head to the side and asked, “So Grandma, what do you two do here all day long?” And as I looked down at him, red-faced and panting, echoes of that question dittoed through my mind. I’ve […]
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“Put me in jail, put me in jail,” our six year-old grandson shouted. “Put me in jail, Gramma,” The boy’s scooters whizzed by, daring me to move out of the way, challenging me to capture little law-breakers with their laughing taunts and haul them into garage jail. They were doing just great whizzing by until […]
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His little fingers dripped with orange greasy pizza oil and stuck together with chocolate fudge-vanilla. I checked his face and found it wreathed with those same streaks of orange and black. Quickly I stretched across the table, searching for a napkin to wipe his mess before it migrated to my jacket. But before I found […]
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“That was so satisfying,” my grandson said. Surprised, I wondered, “Where did that came from?” He had just fished out a slippery shard of thin ice from a puddle. It lay shattered like glass where he’d thrown it. Red-cheeked and half-frozen, he beamed with pleasure. The statement sounded funny from the lips of a […]
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I tilt my head a bit to look for myself in his stick figure drawing. I wonder is this truly how he sees me? He waits. “Is that me?” I ask. Pen in hand, like Picasso, he nods. Proudly. Seriously. I resist the “looks just like me,” response and go for the, “that’s so good!” […]
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On the farm, after dark meant black. The only light, other than the stars, shone from a tall pole smack in the middle of the yard. I ran from the gray shed to the house like lightening, splitting through the yellow sphere of yard light. Chased by the unknown, I tore past shadows beyond the […]
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It wasn’t unusual to hear our house creak, but the distinct soft footsteps on the staircase made my scalp tingle. I stood quietly inside my bedroom on the second floor, then creeped to the door and carefully put my hand to the knob. I held my breath and listened. Was it just the house settling, […]
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