What does it mean to be a great person? There are probably many components, many elements of character, that could be listed as defining a great person. I think that greatness exists in more living beings than we recognize. I think there is greatness in the affection of a parent towards their child, a friend […]
My son came home a year ago last July. He had gone missing, and every phone call from an unknown number, every news story about an unidentified body that had been found and every account of someone killed in a police confrontation made my heart race. In the months and weeks before we parted ways, my […]
I woke up this morning thinking of you, so I thought I would drop you a line. I write to you not knowing who you are or where you are so how to reach you is unclear. I imagine you are young. I am a grandmother. I hope this is not a deterrent to you […]
What is loss really about? Is it the experience of being deprived of any number of possessions or personal relationships? Does loss spur the beast of addiction to run full speed towards destruction? Exhaustive effort can be spent clinging to places and people, afraid of losing that semblance of security even when the reality is […]
My dad was born in Kentucky and was 25 years old in 1945 when he was hired on at the then called, David Taylor Model Basin. He took me there once before kid-to-work-day was fashionable, and showed me the huge tank used to test model ships for the Navy. I thought it was spectacular. Dad […]
It is annoying to find yourself awake at odd hours when you know you have a full day waiting, which by the way, comes with the expectation that you show up with an ability to think and participate with others. There should be no mystery involved when it comes to getting to sleep and staying […]
On a warm, sunny spring day when I was maybe 7 years old my Dad took me fishing. He took me fishing once, and only once. The fish were running so thick on the Potomac River you could just about scoop them out of the water with a net if you wanted. We loaded up […]
Christmas was, for me as a child, a truly magical time. The lights, sounds and smells of the holiday filled my days with sheer joy. I remember feeling transported into a world where, lying on the floor in front of the Christmas tree, I was as much a part of the nativity scene as the […]
Dear Diary: I used to be afraid of computers. The first one we ever owned lived in our den, which was actually a converted garage. It was cold in the garage-den. How cold was it? During one typical Missouri winter, we stored our perishables in there when the refrigerator died. The computer was happy there. There […]
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