My daughter is six and a half years old and tends to be a wee bit dramatic at times. She's also much smarter than I'll ever be. The other morning she flew into my bedroom, eyes ablaze, and wailed, "Oh, Mommy! It's just not fair! I mean, seriously! Seriously!" She threw herself onto my bed. "Like, …
Part of a parent's job is to make us feel safe. Comforted. Accepted. Loved. Hopefully, this gives us the ability to venture out into the big bad world with little fear. You did that for me. Thank you. When I try to visualize your face, I see your smile and your twinkling blue eyes -- like we're sharing a secret …
[Zippy music intro ends, audience applauds] Me: Okay, and we're back! Thank you so much for being here, Mr. Reaper. I know you're a busy man. Grim: Hey, no problem. Thanks for having me. I don't get that a lot. Let's start out with what you've been up to recently. Seems you're pretty busy? Always. So …
When someone you love dies, you tend to wonder where they are now, if they're still 'around' in spirit, that sort of thing. It's only natural. My late father was a big goofball, very funny, but in a dry-as-toast humor kind of way (explains my sense of humor, I suppose). Before he died, we used …
Whenever I learn about something a little out of the ordinary in life, I usually question its validity. Well, at first. It's not like I don't believe anything, because, given enough time to analyze it, I feel everything is possible. But I've got to see some solid tangible evidence in my own life experiences or …
Like probably most of you, I've had a love-hate (fine, all-hate) relationship with exercise. Throughout the years I've tried aerobics classes, swimming, running, jogging, slogging, creeping, tripping, limping, stumbling. I've biked, hiked, rollerbladed, rollerskated, break danced, 'Sweated to the Oldies'...walked slowly while texting and/or guzzling iced capps topped with whipped cream. No matter what program …
whump-whump-whump-whump The helicopter overhead was distant--the propeller's thumps a low murmur seeping into my mind, stirring up dread, thick and suffocating. I stood inside my grandmother's old house and gazed at the peeling yellowed paint on the walls and the layers upon layers of dusty photographs covering every inch. In one black and white photo, a young pig-tailed girl's face beamed, sitting on her father's knee, her face forever frozen …
The following is a conversation I had with my 78 year old mom while driving her around on errands last week. (Her speech is in bold because her voice usually registers a few hundred decibels higher than mine) My mom: Oh, God! ACK!! OOF! GOOD LORD! AHHH! HOLY CRAP! Me: What? You okay? Huh? Oh, yeah, it's nothing. I was …
Proof my kids communicate in a language I will never understand: I'm sitting on the couch, reading a book. My son is across the room, frozen in the 'Nintendo DS' pose-- head down, eyes glazed, thumbs working furiously. I am completely immersed in the latest Stephen King book when I barely hear, "Hey, Mom?" I keep …
The cemetery was full of swaying trees and bright sunlight; the dancing rays sparkling within the reds and golds of the leaves. Gazing at the rows of gray stones, I felt a gentle stirring of peace blossoming from within, spreading around me with its warm embrace. I stood alone on a grassy hill and listened to the …
She's A Maineiac 