Latest posts
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Still Giving
Hi everyone! My apologies for the mixup in blog posts this morning. I had been going through some old ones that I’d earlier marked as “private” or perhaps they were just meant to be ‘drafts’, and I accidentally published them again for all to see. Unfortunately, some of them are from darker days when I…
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Coming Up on Fall
“Only one person in a million becomes enlightened without a teacher’s help.” Bodhidharma Facebook has this “Memories” function where posts made on this day in previous years are brought up to the surface. This reminder came up yesterday: it’s a blog I posted two years ago on Parent’s Night (aka Back to School Night). I…
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Northern Norway
“Only those who wander find new paths” —Norwegian Proverb I’ve been back from Norway for almost a week, and I am happy to say jet lag has not been a problem. It is, however, taking me awhile to get back to my pre-trip busy self…which is probably a good thing. I’m the kind of person…
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How We Met
I’m not sure if I believe in the idea of soul-mates—I find the concept limiting. To me, it implies that everyone who loses their true love would never have the chance of finding another. Losing a love, through death, divorce, or otherwise, is already tragic enough. I don’t know if I have never called Vernon my soul mate,…
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Barbara Hepworth
The following entry is from my Groundbreaking Girls website. This week, I’ve been particularly encouraged by the sculptor, Barbara Hepworth. All of the ladies I paint are inspiring, but every so often a mentor comes along at just the right time. I cherish those moments of this project. Thank you, Barbara, for being the fill-in mentor…
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Grief Comes In Waves
Grief comes in waves, they say. We accept this as a mercy, sweet relief from the idea of All Grief, All the Time. The thing about waves, though— they aren’t consistent. Sometimes they are long, shallow rollers, not unpleasant to move through at all. The dips and rises almost make you feel…
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Father’s Day
“Son, brother, father, lover, friend. There is room in the heart for all the affections, as there is room in heaven for all the stars.” —Victor Hugo Happy Father’s Day to all the dads, granddads, great-granddads, and people who step into all those roles for those who need them, regardless of bloodline. This is one…
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Hummingbird Memories
“Memory is a complicated thing, a relative to truth, but not its twin.”— Barbara Kingsolver I haven’t gotten far on my memoir, no surprise there—at 15 minutes a day, I’m just five pages into the project, but my mind isn’t letting me write very much at a time. Its octopus tentacles often prefer to wander off…
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The Year of Magical Thinking
“We tell our stories in order to live…” —Joan Didion I just finished a very special book, The Year of Magical Thinking, by Joan Didion. I don’t even know where I got it, I must have picked it up at a free-library box or something. It’s been on my bookshelf for at least a year…
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Seven
Justine turned seven yesterday. She has been waiting for this birthday for a long time…at least five months. Everyday, it’s been: “How many months/weeks/days till my birthday?” Whatever shall we count down to next? Now that the day is here, the future lies open…and possibilities are infinite. I remember turning seven. I had a birthday…