Where seeds of thought have room to grow
Category: Of Life and Love
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My mother, who was born with a spirit of independence and "where there's a will there's a way" … who was my quadriplegic brother's primary caregiver even while working full-time … who others (not just family) always turned to for help … … well, now she is dependent on a machine for oxygen, a…
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"Lord, if your people need me, I will not refuse the work. Your will be done." ~St. Martin of Tours My big brother Buster was headed to Viet Nam, saying his goodbyes, when I stood beside him in this photograph and smiled. I had no idea what was ahead of him. This was…
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This evening my family commandeered the sunroom where my mom lives to celebrate her 83rd birthday a few days early. It was the only day we could all be together, but besides that, when you're turning 83, you really should start celebrating early, don't you think? I know Mama loves being with…
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Tuesday afternoon around 3, I got a phone call that derailed the rest of my plans for that day, and shifted all others for the rest of the week… My mother had fallen, the nurse said. EMS was on its way. What hospital did I want her taken to? Frustration with her welled up…
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On Monday my middle son turned 26. He celebrated by taking the day off from work, sleeping in, and then relaxing on the back porch with Belle, reading and drinking his coffee. He's definitely a child after my own heart. The day started out a rainy one. But by the time Belle and I…
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Each morning since my old puppy Max passed away, Belle and I have ended our walk in the little cemetery where he, Charly, Chewy, Ruthie, and Frankie are all buried. It may seem like a bittersweet way to start the day, but I believe it has helped me, and maybe Belle, transition to…
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"Dogs’ lives are too short. Their only fault, really." ~ Agnes Sligh Turnbull He wandered up to our house from the woods almost 11 years ago, a not-so-small puppy with crooked ears and a face so black you could barely see his eyes. We never found out where he came from, but…
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I worked in a chemical plant for thirteen years, where all kinds of explosive and flammable materials swam through the pipes surrounding us. Propylene, hydrogen, syngas, and methanol, to name a few. For the first decade it was a DuPont plant, where safety and proper procedures were taken very seriously and drilled into…
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Tom asked me to dance for the very first time 33 years ago tonight. I was at Kenny Stabler's Diamondback Saloon in Houston on a rare Friday night off, in a bad mood because my boyfriend of five years "had other plans" that night. That wasn't unusual – he wasn't a very good boyfriend.…
Long Hollow 