This is a story about my mother’s love for chocolate
When visiting Mother at the care center where she lived for eight years, we routinely ate lunch at the facility’s Bistro downstairs. But a few weeks after she moved to skilled nursing last November, the trip to the Bistro became too much for her. So, we ate with...
Laughter is worth a lot of pennies
The truck’s gas gauge registered below a quarter of a tank. I rummaged in my purse and checked my grocery store receipt. We had enough reward points for ten cents per gallon off at the grocery store’s gas station. “If their price is lower than the going rate, we’ll...
It is well with my soul
My mother died early yesterday morning. She was 96. For several years, she had lived in a care facility near my older sister. Mother was a teacher. Though she suffered from dementia, Mother greeted everyone and always said thank you whenever someone did...
I wish I’d been kinder
“A service van’s coming up the driveway,” Keith called from the loft. “He’s spinning his wheels, spitting gravel, really tearing it up. Now he’s sideways and trying to back down. I’ve never seen such bad driving.” I sighed. “I’ll go see if I can help.” In the...
From Santa-god to God
“Is there a Santa?” my 6-year-old son asked. It was 1989. “Yes,” I said cautiously. “There is a Santa, and he’s Mommy and Daddy.” Concerned that my son might feel let down, I added, “There’s magic in the world, too. It’s called science.” A few years later, after my...
Reverse and shift into neutral
At the bottom of the mountain, I flipped the truck gear switch to the right—from 2WD to 4WD—pulled the parking brake, and ran across the access road to pick up the mail. When I climbed back into the cab, I noticed two new warning lights on the dash: 4Low and VDC...