The woman cutting my hair admired my ring three days ago. I told her I got it from you. I didn’t say it was from your finger, a moment after you took your last breath. When I first put it on it felt foreign: a large jade stone. The one you impulsively traveled downtown to … Continue reading You come back, again and again
Gratefulness
Places of thanks
Smells and images: exhilarating, filling, haunting. Before, After and Now. Snippets of memories. What happened? What didn’t? Who is to say? Then. Buckets of sand, gulls cawing, shrieking wind and penetrating rain. Feet sink deep into cold, wet sand. Salty tide pools warmed by fading sun. Sand pushes through cracks between my toes, into my nails. I extract … Continue reading Places of thanks
Diaries, notes and letters: leave ‘em laughing
I just finished reading the memoir Educated by Tara Westover. I found it both hard to put down and upsetting: yet, more than anything it fed into my own brain ramblings about family stories, and how differently each of us retain memories during our lifetime. A third-grader at Chloe Clark Elementary asked me a profound … Continue reading Diaries, notes and letters: leave ‘em laughing
Returning to place
Does place pass through us, from those who came before? I suspect it must. Yesterday was my 30th wedding anniversary. I spent the morning with energetic, bright, curious kids - none I had met before - and the afternoon and evening alone. And although I love my spouse and was disappointed that he couldn't join … Continue reading Returning to place
Even when you call me Mother
It was the moment she referred to me as her mother. Although I knew she had suffered a tough week, I recognized a subtle, uncomfortable invitation into a new place. A different stage of life, for me – her daughter - and for her. I was also confused: I thought I had already stepped well … Continue reading Even when you call me Mother
Unplugging
Yep. I admit it. I'm a bit addicted to my screen. Having returned from a few days unplugged in the beauty of Mt. Hood National Forest and adjoining wilderness areas I am even more fully aware of my reliance on it for work, life, writing. This realization took me back to October 3, 1981. My … Continue reading Unplugging
The best way to thank an author
Some say the best way to thank an author is to write a review. Yep...I'm learning that to be near the top of the list. I'd be lying, though, if I didn't admit the best to be the heartfelt private email. Some notes and emails I have received from readers shared how my stories renewed memories … Continue reading The best way to thank an author
In our final moments: an anniversary
Dad died on July 13. Four years ago today. I haven’t blogged about that day, although I share a few of the details in My Music Man. Writing those words at the time, prior to publication, felt raw. With the passage of time I articulate my feelings differently than I fully did then. The day … Continue reading In our final moments: an anniversary
Celebrate the moments
Yesterday I finished my final final. Some may understand what I mean by this. It's not what I thought was final when I submitted my manuscript to my publisher last December, and of which I signed a contract barely a week later. Nor is it the version I completed one month later, taking those few … Continue reading Celebrate the moments
Writing about the bad
When I began writing about Dad in My Music Man, I didn’t intend to write about his alcoholism. While it was a big thing, it wasn’t the big thing when he died. Rather, I missed him, his stories, and his connections to our past. It was in my first draft of writing about him when I … Continue reading Writing about the bad
