Dear Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, You have made the list every school hopes to avoid…the school shooting list…the mass casualty list. The lock-down training you had, didn’t take into account a false fire alarm. The hide-and-go-seek plan didn’t work as well as you believed it would, because training cannot cover every possible scenario a … Continue reading Dear MSDHS
Inspiration
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It is somehow appropriate that tonight is a full moon, here at the beginning of a new year, and on this day specifically; January 2nd. Eleven years…cancer free. At this time all those years ago, I was finishing up my final 8-hour treatment and heading home for a celebration dinner Louise had prepared. It was … Continue reading 11
Good Riddance 2017
Good riddance 2017. Is that a bold enough statement for you? There are some years when hard stuff comes along, and then there are the years where the hard stuff piles one on top of another until you are buried. 2017 was one of those for us. We began the New Year in the hospital … Continue reading Good Riddance 2017
Silent Night, Holy Night
In the wee hours of the morning, I sit in the light of the Christmas tree. There are no presents underneath. My manger scene is undisturbed. The stockings are empty. I could have slept for hours more, yet somehow my body is programed that on this morning I should be up. The dog’s snoring is … Continue reading Silent Night, Holy Night
Disruption and Interruption
To me, Christmas concerts, plays, and productions are a required part of the season. It just isn’t Christmas until I have been singing along and tapping my foot to Christmas tunes. When I was a kid, my aunt Betty took us to the Robert Shaw Christmas Symphony every year. I can still remember the Morehouse … Continue reading Disruption and Interruption
The Heart of God
I climbed the marble stairs one at a time. They were enormous, but beyond my notice because at the top of them were the most massive doors I had ever seen. My heart pounded but it was difficult to distinguish if it was the climb or the awe which made it beat so rapidly. “What … Continue reading The Heart of God
The Gift of Words
This is an excerpt from a piece I wrote last at Christmas last year for Two Drops of Ink: A Literary Blog. As we prepare gifts this season let us not forget, words are powerful, can be given to everyone on your list, and...they are free! You can read the entire piece here. I am … Continue reading The Gift of Words
Windstorms
The wind is howling, rushing down the mountain through the trees; they are possessed with it. I can feel them bowing and bending. I can hear the violence of crashing branches. Surround sound starts on one side of me and then swirls around to the other. In the wee hours, when my mind is wide … Continue reading Windstorms
The Silence of God
I sit in silence on my back porch, contemplating. The leaves are worshiping all around me in a kaleidoscope of color. I sit and wait, for what? I do not know. I am drawn inward to listen for words which do not present themselves. I have found in order to jiggle them loose, I … Continue reading The Silence of God
Hope Wins…Again
Darkness overcomes me. Black as ink, not even a hand in front of my face is visible. I am surrounded. I am afraid of the absence of light. My heart pounds. I grasp and claw, until I realize it is futile to fight the black night of the soul. I have no control. I have … Continue reading Hope Wins…Again