Self-Esteem

1991, carpooling 2 bunheads to after school ballet class: “Hey Jessica, did the self-esteem guy come to your class today?” “Yeah, Vanessa, it was SO funny! The guy picked Kelly to sit on a chair and told her to sit or stand depending on how she felt, then he said you...

Grandfather’s Udder Wisdom

The only time I spent alone with him, my grandfather talked about cows’ udders. “You got to take care of cows,” Grampy told me, sitting in his worn rocking chair in Grammy’s kitchen, slurping his usual milk-and-sugared-tea, rubbing his wooden leg, a phantom of one...

Sweet Dreams

Do you have sweet dreams? Me, not so much, in fact, my wee-hour dreams almost invariably tend towards the upper limits of frustration and occasionally fear. Last night’s followed suit – until it didn’t. Location: a train station waiting room, my mind registered...

Surrogates

I’ve always loved Christmas! From the time I was a child through my son’s and daughter’s growing up years, we gathered as a family to pick out the tree and decorate the house. We made Christmas cookies and prepared special meals while singing Christmas carols, and we...