At the beginning and at the end of my story with leukemia is my liver, oddly enough. It was way-off liver enzymes (and excruciating pain) that were the first real indication that something was very wrong. My stay at Duke was prolonged by four or five days because my liver, once again, was acting up. […]
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Is There Life After Cancer?
When I came home from my forty-day stay in the hospital last October, Tess commandeered my laptop and began to write. The Limit of The Cancer Curse. That was the title of her book. Her mother, her grandmother, her teacher, the dad of one of her good buddies, all of us struggling with cancer. She’s […]
Something About Aimee
Presbyterian circles can be tight, and Presbyterian circles of clergy are often even tighter. So the sudden death of Aimee Wallis Buchanan has rocked us all, clergy and lay person, to the core. My own state of shock continues. I had just spoken with her on the phone the week before she got sick. The […]
An Open Letter to Lizzie Bennet (sort of)
On one level this is so embarrassing because I actually sent it. Something Ashely Clements wrote in a tumblr post really struck a nerve with me. And this is the only think I’ve been the least bit motivated to write since National Novel Writing Month. If you don’t know about the The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, […]
To My Three (or so) Friends Who Are Following This Blog
I’m currently undertaking the nanowimo challenge of completing a novel during the month of November. My family is being fed, and I’m not terribly far behind, but that’s about all I can do right now. I’ve got lots of ideas for this blog and will definitely get back to it in December. There. No more guilt. […]
Post-Debate Reflections
Truth be told, I puttered around during the debate. I listened, and I watched a little. I also washed dishes, swept the kitchen floor and looked for my glasses, which I have still be unable to locate. (These are my new glasses. My first pair lasted for 15 years. I’ve had this pair for less […]
Welcoming Prayer and Presidential Politics: Watching the Debates as a Spiritual Practice
Ours is a political household. My husband and I watch talking heads in the evenings and check political blogs during the day. We regularly discuss races and polls. He is running for a local office for the fourth or fifth time (I’ve lost track), so our girls got to “vote for Daddy” when we went […]
Ruby
This little essay was prompted by some posts at my friend Elizabeth Gaucher’s blog Esse Diem What I remember most about my grandmother is that she didn’t remember. She couldn’t remember how many brothers and sisters she had, or that her bra went under her clothes, or my name. I was twelve when she died, […]
Living With the End in Mind
I spend a chunk of my time with older folks who rarely leave their tiny nursing home rooms that smell the way you might imagine nursing homes smell. (Take a hospital smell then throw in some stale air and a few more things I’ll refrain from mentioning.) It changes you after awhile. Like being an […]
Still Listening 