It's true. I adore Christmas trees. Truth be told, I adore trees. And while I did grow up in a (albeit, liberal) Christian Church and sang in the choir with the best of them, I admit my devotion to the season is more. I'll ignore, for now, paradoxical contradictions of religion. Instead, decorated trees awaken … Continue reading The ritual of the tree
You come back, again and again
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
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
Early bookselling: Ticknor & Fields to Gills
Bookstores place second on my list of most favorite human-made spaces, bested only by libraries. Libraries unquestionably rank at the top by exuding an overwhelming welcome, and forgiveness for choices I may make: I can explore and expand my interests and it's okay if I don't always make it to the last page. I sometimes … Continue reading Early bookselling: Ticknor & Fields to Gills
Cramming it in
The frequency in which my work and personal thoughts intersect no longer surprises me. As work conversations occasionally focus on just what we mean by worker well-being, it's not uncommon for me to apply it to the life I know, or worry for those owning work demands - often accompanied by low wages, no benefits … Continue reading Cramming it in
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
Using what we know to imagine what might have been
This post was first published by Women Writers, Women Books at http://booksbywomen.org Weaving technical expertise into creative writing Had you asked me five years ago if I would ever write a memoir, I might have answered “maybe.” If the query had been about writing a novel? Never! My brain, schooled and journeyed through decades of … Continue reading Using what we know to imagine what might have been
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
Four feet of greatness
For Chloe Clarke – George Gill Montgomery’s grandmother; my great-great-great grandmother; Emily’s great-great-great-great grandmother – music provided a simple but serious pleasure on her arduous journey aboard the Lausanne. At twenty-one years old, Chloe left her hometown of East Windsor, Connecticut to join the Jason Lee missionary expedition of 1839; sailing around the horn of … Continue reading Four feet of greatness
Dede's Books and blog 