I didn't have to do anything except gather the plastic bags full of his shirts and pants and socks and underwear and shoes. Bags with books and teddy bears. All he had. I stood in the room with others, including his foster Mom. We just waited watching him weep. Watching a child's heart break. He …
Category: family
How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?
I don't post much anymore and this post is long and it's not funny but I really hope you will read it. I ask you to read it. And share it because it matters not just in Portland, not just in Oregon but throughout the U.S. My mother was a teacher before I was born. …
Profoundly Resilient
Today is Brigid's 16th birthday! It is hard to believe that just four months ago this happened: Brigid was in the back seat behind the driver. Here you can see her car door stuck to the grill of the car that hit them. We were in the hospital for 10 days. Brigid in her …
A Family of Names
My parents names are John and Joan. Their siblings names are Anita, Agnes Marie, Catherine, Dennis, Gerard, John, Maryann. All of the children of those families are: Maggie, John, Katie, Molly, Michael, Randy, John, David, Jennifer, Mary, Tricia, Michael, Bill, Jane, and I think I’m missing 3 others from that family, Michael, Patrick, Tom, Yvonne, …
Dear Katie,
For my readers who don't know Katie's story, please refer back here and here. Katie has been home for a few months and returns to school today. She is still working so hard and has come so far and her reward is a touch of normalcy, she gets to go to school half time for …
Parenting Disclosures from my Childhood
I am happy to report that three days in, the new rules at my house are still working. No one has missed the Volvo bus to school. The girls understood the situation that while I was really upset on Sunday, this is not a punishment but more a reorganization. Thank you all for your comments, …
An Open Letter to My Daughters
Dear Annie and Brigid, Your nonchalant refusal to take me up on my invitation yesterday to join me on my trip to the cemetery to take flowers to my parents was completely thoughtless, showing that you have hit new lows in self-indulgent, inconsiderate behavior. You were not only disrespectful to me, you were disrespectful to …
A Miraculous Good Friday to You!
Ten years ago on Good Friday my dad was dying. Not like, he was sick and frail and was going to die soon. Dying. Multiple organ failure and that Friday his kidneys were beginning to fail. Renal failure generally means you aren't long for this world. He had been ill for weeks. My parents came …
A Life Story That Got Me Thinkin’
The ever brilliant David Dixon's post last week ties in exactly with this post so go look at it. Fabulous, right? My parents used to call the Obituary section of the newspaper "The Irish Sports Page". Like them, I read the obits every day. I love the stories which most of the time make me …
Snow Weekend in Portland
Snow storms don't hit Portland, Oregon very often. We had a huge storm five years ago which I didn't enjoy as much as I should have because my mother had died 8-10 weeks previous so I wasn't in a good mood. And, it was over Christmas. Portland shuts down when snow shows up so, at …
So, What’s in Store for 2014?
Do you make New Year's Revolutions? I do, sometimes. I love the years when my resolution is to do more crossword puzzles and bam! I do it and I have stayed true to my word. Then there are the boring new year's resolutions....diet, alcohol, exercise, smoking, etc. Those are the UnHoly Quadrangle of failed New …
The Miracle of Elephant Eating
How do you eat an elephant? You know, because an elephant is really, really big and could weigh up to 12,000 lbs, so it would be really tough to plan an eating strategery. I doubt anyone would want to eat a real live elephant so let's instead ask, "how do you eat a 12,000 pound …
Did You Misc. Maggie? 