I have always loved kids. From the time I was a girl, I worked with little ones as soon as I was old enough. My first real job was at a daycare center at the age of 15. I worked VBS at church every summer. Pretty much every job or volunteer opportunity I had, revolved … Continue reading Childlike
Author: michellegunnin
A Great Love
What better way to celebrate Valentine's Day than to repost the story of Mom and Dad's Great Love. I wrote this during the pandemic when we moved Mom to memory care. It has been some years, but the Great Love is still in action even now. I have grown up in the shadow of a … Continue reading A Great Love
The Bull
The Bull. It’s what we called our youth pastor. Officially, Bill Bullard, but to all of the youth, simply Bull. He passed yesterday, and with his death an era ended. I couldn’t tell you how many young people were influenced by him. There is no way to track it. It was back before influencers had … Continue reading The Bull
One More Stone
Louise used to think it was morose to celebrate the date of Bill’s accident. She said she wanted to forget it ever happened. Bury all the trauma in the past. “He’s fine now, like it never happened…so why go back and re-live it?” My response was, “He’s not fine. He will never be the same … Continue reading One More Stone
A Funny Story
Sometimes you just have to laugh. There is no other option. Well I guess there is, but sometimes you have to choose to laugh instead of the other options. Allow me to paint you a picture. The rain of the night has turned to mist of the morning. It floats to my windshield and smears … Continue reading A Funny Story
Plant a Seed
The cloak of darkness, hovers. Whether snow or cold rain, the damp feels like icy fingers reaching inside the bones. The blanket of cold, covers. It is the winter season. A time of isolation. Seclusion. Pulling back. Staying in. For some, a time of reflection. For others, a time of rumination. Either way, it is … Continue reading Plant a Seed
Word Salad
Frontotemporal dementia is the disintegration of the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain. These are the centers for language, movement, and memory. This is the type of dementia Mom has. From the beginning, before any of us knew there was anything wrong, her language was affected. She had trouble finding the right word. She … Continue reading Word Salad
Damar Hamlin
Along with millions of others, I was watching the game when Damar went down. I was confused, just like everyone else. Looking at the replay I told Bill I didn’t think it was a head injury. (We have some experience with what head injuries look like. 🙂 ) But if not that, then what? On … Continue reading Damar Hamlin
Cancer Free for 16 Years
January 2nd is Mom’s Alive Day around my house. It’s been 16 years since my last chemo treatment; 16 years since I heard the beautiful words ‘cancer free’. In some ways it seems like eons ago, in others it seems like yesterday. Any little unexpected twinge or unexplained pain brings it all flooding back. Having … Continue reading Cancer Free for 16 Years
2023
It’s that time of year again. As I get older, it comes faster and faster. The world is a spinning top and it flies around the sun with such fervor and intensity, it seems it might fly off course and crash at any moment. The speed is mind-boggling. When I was a kid, it seemed … Continue reading 2023
Michelle's Mosaic 