Caregiving 101: Part Seven: What Comes After

My mom and I put the stamp on my dad’s 2018 tax return in March of 2019. That was it, I thought, the last thing I have to do for him. All the papers had been filed, the stuff sorted, the bills paid, the money disbursed, and the responsibility done. I was finally free. True,

Are You Happy?

Recently, I heard someone say that when people asked her if she was happy, she didn’t know how to answer the question. My mind immediately began to ponder for myself: am I happy? Is anyone happy? What is happiness? The question she struggles with seems to be a recurring theme in our media. Over and

Surrender

We stand facing each other, You and I, the feet-trampled grass stretching between us.  You look relaxed, confident, steady.  I am trembling, exhausted, tense.  You hold the rope gently, but firmly.  I look down at the bloody-raw mess of my hands, burned from gripping so tightly.  Your feet are planted on the ground, and they

Advocate

Auntie was my advocate.  She had always been a vital part of my life, a second mother in many ways.  She managed to be at both ends of any spectrum, becoming whatever was needed in all situations.  She was loud and opinionated, yet she had a calming effect on others, directing everyone around her to a

“Just Wait till My Father Hears About This”

Draco Malfoy is my favorite Harry Potter character.  I know.  Some of you are looking at me, intent on avoiding the cunning Slytherin ambition I’m going to use against you.  (FYI, I’m a Hufflepuff).  Some of you are reading this, horrified that I could adore such a one-dimensional character whose redemption was lacking in detail. 

I love you. Thank you. God bless you.

This is my grandmother.  She passed away last year at the age of 106.  Personally, despite having been around for 35 of those years, I find it difficult to envision living for that long.  She had accumulated a vast amount of wisdom during that time — hours of listening to her had taught me that

Fearless Hope

Hope has been my constant companion for this past year.  You might be familiar with the tradition of picking a word for the new year instead of making a New Year’s resolution.  As I’ve started to do this in the past couple of years, the strangest thing is that it feels like the word chooses