My former student, Sarah Humway, wrote this post as an essay for English Comp I class last fall. I loved it and asked if she'd allow me to share it with all of you. She agreed. Thank you, Sarah! The most influential person in my life was not only someone who could pick me up… Continue reading Mimi’s influence
I remember attending my first Twelve Step recovery meeting ever. It was an open meeting, and I attended with a friend. I listened. I learned a lot and felt that even though what people were sharing didn't totally apply to me, there was something warm and familiar about it all the same. I couldn't put… Continue reading Dissonance
Dear One, When you died about one month ago, you caught me off guard. You became suddenly ill, and 24 hours later, you were eating pizza, fruit cake, and pudding cups in heaven. I can't say I didn't see it coming. There was something inside of me that whispered, "Go see her more often" about… Continue reading Turning points
I woke up humming a tune. “Whippoorwills in the willows…” I love that little song. It takes me back to a sweet time in my life when I had fewer cares and responsibilities, a time when love enveloped me like the warm comforter I nestled in as I awoke with the June sunshine streaming in… Continue reading How to move
“Kindness is the mightiest force in the world,” according to One Day at a Time (299). In the past, I didn’t feel kind. I didn’t even feel like being kind. I felt like stabbing my ex-husband’s eyeballs with a handful of forks. If you know me now, you may be laughing and trying to imagine me… Continue reading Mighty kind
I found myself whispering, too, even though I wasn’t the one hiding in a closet while a drunken man beat on the door. “Bridgett, it’s okay. You’ll be okay. You do not have to answer that door. DO NOT answer the door, okay?” Bridgett cried snotty tears on the other end of the phone. “But… Continue reading Say yes
Recently, one of my friends reached out to me to inform me that she'd been viciously attacked by her boyfriend (now ex). She described the bruises, and she admitted she felt scared for her life. "You were right about him." In the pit of my gut, I winced. There was a time when I reveled in… Continue reading I’d rather be wrong
