I have been around for eons dancing with the moon. She and I have an ebb and flow like the dance partners that we are. It seems that despite the music playing around us, we have our own song. People drive long distances to hear it. It causes them to frolic and play. Before long, … Continue reading I Am the Ocean
Author: michellegunnin
Oncologist
I walked through the glass door with my heart in my throat. It is an automated response to this place. My pulse rate increases as I try to find an empty chair. Once a cancer patient, always a cancer patient. I am the only woman with hair today; thin though it is, it’s better than … Continue reading Oncologist
Memorial Day
I am struggling. There I said it. Seeing it on the page in black and white helps me define my last few weeks. It’s been almost 6 months since Dad passed, but for some reason I have had a wave of emotion that feels fresh and new. Painful again. I am aware that grief doesn’t … Continue reading Memorial Day
My Feet Know the Way
On the first step onto the trail, my feet found their place. Each step forward they seemed to carry me of their own accord. They were joyful to be back in the woods. Ecstatic to feel the dirt of the path. I have been avoiding the trails as of late. Not even aware I was … Continue reading My Feet Know the Way
On Becoming “Them”
As humans we want to hold the high moral ground. It has always been so. The number of wars which have been fought based on superiority alone is staggering. We are right, they are wrong. We will fight to the death to prove it. Sacrifice our children. Bomb our neighbors. All to defend ourselves and … Continue reading On Becoming “Them”
Another First
There have been some tears this week. At first, I didn’t recognize the source. So many things happening, some of them good, some of them painful. I chalked my lethargic state up to having a fabulous week last week at the Folk School. Always fun, but also always exhausting. I came home tired. Said goodbye … Continue reading Another First
The Small Things
I slide out of my bed and pull on my yellow shorts and striped yellow and white tank top. My bare feet pad quietly out of the bedroom. He sits on the porch. Watching the waves roll in. Never a coffee drinker, his hands instead caress his camera. Dad. Taking in the sunrise with his … Continue reading The Small Things
Hands Off
I went to my first ever political protest on Saturday. I surprised myself, because generally I am not a political person. I don’t vote the party line. I vote for who I think is the best candidate for the job, no matter which party. Maybe this is because one of my grandfathers told me never … Continue reading Hands Off
The Storm
The rain on my rooftop stills my heart. The thunder rolls around and through the valley, reminding me that storms are mobile. They do not stay forever. The deluge pounds the shelter over my head. It rolls down outside my window like a waterfall, creating a familiar hiss. The lightning and thunder are having a … Continue reading The Storm
Sister Tattoos (Part 2)
Four years ago, Melinda and I got sister tattoos as part of our caregiver journey. I wrote about it here. Back then, we marked our hard journey; etched it on our bodies as a way to memorialize the love between Mom and Dad. Dementia was taking its toll and Dad was a weary knight in … Continue reading Sister Tattoos (Part 2)
Michelle's Mosaic 