Two years ago, forest fires throughout the Pacific Northwest were closing freeways and making air quality miserable. It felt like the natural world that cradled me was becoming a charred skeleton, and I wondered if its bony remains would nurture me again. Near my home, a fire was consuming forests and moss-lined hollows of the […]
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Fractured Block
I’m blocked and trying to backtrack. I thought I could write my way through tragic parts of my history, but it’s not going well. A non-credit assignment to write about an accident got me into this mess. Back when the instructor was tossed it my way, I felt like a victim who couldn’t deal with […]

A Leap into Coolness
I was a fifth-wheel in fifth grade, and I knew it. Two years earlier when I returned to Irvington Elementary from the Potter School for sick and frail kids, I felt like an outsider in my home school. But, in spite of the discomfort, I have no good or bad memories of third grade, so […]

A Grave Tender
Earlier this week, I met a friend as we gathered for a hike. She gave me a little hug and asked, “Doing better?” I thought she was inquiring about my mobility, so I gave an update on stretching suggestions she gave me earlier. Then she asked, “How was the cemetery?” “Did I tell you about […]

Not Built with Legos!
There is a tidiness to Legos that suits my temperament. I have a “grandchild’s loft” in my home with bricks, train engines, and tracks. Back when the grandkids were young, I’d buy a Lego kit, and we’d follow step-by-step instructions end up with something rewarding that worked. And if a train station got smashed, we […]
This Site is Struggling!
About a week ago, I discovered that people who had subscribed to this blog were not getting notifications of new posts. Since then, I have been running in a maze and confronting issues I don’t understand well. That lack of understanding hasn’t helped me, but my hosting company and my WordPress products are s-l-o-w-l-y talking […]

My “Wellness” Survey
I am not doing well, and I know it. There is something buried within my psyche, or physically in my body that is causing my nervous system to act up. It could be as simple as finding new stretches, but whatever it is, I’m apprehensive. After the past year of surgery and rehab, it’s easy […]

Hey Sister Suzy!
A trip to a psychiatric hospital “Hey! Sister Suzy!” The muffled voice came from behind observation windows at Cedar Hills Psychiatric Hospital during a tour in 1985. Only one person paired “Sister” and “Suzy,” so I instantly knew that it was an 18-year-old who used to be in my congregation. I would have hugged Daniel […]

My Dreamspiration
I had an inspiration last week — a flat out, “no doubt about it” message that I finally heard loud and clear. It came to me in a dream that told me to act. Now! As my mother’s mind failed, she too had dreams and inspirations. Disconnected scenarios that caused her to act outside reality. […]

I Couldn’t Make This Up!
I did too much in the last four days. Overdoing it is my way of doing what I want, so giving myself a painful muscle spasm is no big deal and not the focus of this post. However, the person who I texted to bail me out is. Jeanette has received desperate texts from me […]