A lifetime of learning
At the intersection, there was a couple. Their clothes looked clean and they spoke to one another gently. Had I seen them anywhere else, they might have looked like a typical couple on a summer’s day. But under the bridge by the stoplight, a different story emerged. She drank from a plastic bottle, water I […]
Read MoreI was 32 when my husband and I separated. I had three small children, ages 5, 3, and 1. I’m not going to lie – “hard” doesn’t even come close to describing what it was like, and there were times when I thought the pain would kill me. Once or twice, I found myself crumpled […]
Read MoreI am not sure when it was exactly that my dad decided his time on earth was up, but long before his body grew tired, and even longer before his mind hinted at exhaustion, he made the decision that he had done enough. Maybe it was when he turned 55. His own father had died […]
Read MoreMy brother, J, died in the month of September, almost a full moon after his 42nd birthday. He wasn’t ready to go, but he also knew that that was no longer up to him. He understood that his time was approaching quickly, and it was important to him to have his family around, even if […]
Read MoreThere is no death. Only a change of worlds. Native American Proverb After many turbulent years of physical suffering and emotional distress, my dad finally bid farewell to this world on August 15th. Summer’s end brought with it the gentle calm that settles in after a long thunderstorm. These are the words I shared with […]
Read MoreWords written for J upon his death, September 2008 The first thing J’s surfing coach ever told him was “learn to love your wipeouts”. How appropriate! Because that is the way J always lived his life. He IS a survivor in the truest of ways. When we first found out that he had cancer, we […]
Read MoreThis time it was for real. The other day had been a warning, though we hoped that the danger had gone away. When I saw the turtle floating on the water, completely motionless, refusing to respond to any of my prodding, I thought for sure he was dead. But luckily, by the time Nacho got […]
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Ebb and Flow 