An eyebrow-raising sense of humor and almost wicked delight in planning, anticipating and pulling off the perfect practical joke. Especially if it involved some quirky thing about bodies. ALS offered Diane plenty of bodily material. Read the rest of this entry »
weather-beaten house
empty nests brilliant blue sky–
what songs lined your walls?
* * *
Music was huge in our home: piano practice, singing grace before each meal, old phonograph records played over and over. Mother taught us to sing in three-part harmony while she accompanied us on the piano or a small portable electric organ. She also played and taught us children’s songs from the old Childcraft songbook for kids, and silly kindergarten songs with all the motions.
Three memories come to mind when I think about music that lined the walls of my childhood homes. Read the rest of this entry »
she peeks through bamboo
sparkling eyes smiling coyly –
golden locks waving
* * * * *
She’s calling to me!
I can’t resist!
I’ve been too long Read the rest of this entry »
‘Have you forgiven your father?’ A fair question, never easy to answer. With regard to forgiveness, I aim to become one of the tough-minded Lewis Smedes talks about in his book, The Art of Forgiving. Read the rest of this entry »
Diane’s life with ALS flew by way too fast. My Houston journals remind me just how difficult it was to live within each moment. Sometimes it seems I was stuck, holding my breath, waiting for Diane to die.
More often, though, I was sorting out what I could/could not reasonably do during my visits to Houston almost four times a year. Here are a few things I struggled with during my November 1997 visit. Read the rest of this entry »
As a child, my survival theology was short and to the point: (1) God would NEVER beat me like this, and (2) Jesus loves me no matter what, and wants to spend time with me.
My two small truths traveled well. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s the 1990s. I’m teaching a seminar on spirituality. At the beginning of the class I hand out to each participant, including me, a blank piece of paper and crayons. The assignment is simple: draw and color your childhood image of God. You have 5 minutes.
I drew and still have my image: Read the rest of this entry »
Diane, Sister #3, died in February 2006 after living 10 years with ALS. From October 1997 until September 2000 Diane wrote short pieces she called Words for the Ones I Love. Most are about her relationship to the local church she served for 7 years as Minister of Education/Administration. She took disability retirement in May 1996.
The pieces are not confidential. Diane gave me permission to use or publish them as I saw fit. In fact, she liked the idea that her words might be read by more than her family and friends. I’m excited to begin letting you see a bit more about her and the ways our lives connected. Perhaps she’ll connect with you, too. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s 1960. I’m 16 years old and I just graduated from high school. I thought you’d like to see how I filled in the gaps between Daddy’s Sex Ed 101 and my graduation.
My Sex Ed 102 Learning Resources with Annotations by Me
*My parents’ everyday relationship with each other. Mother seems to have no voice and no vote. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s 1954. We just finished breakfast, and are sitting around the dinner table. Sister #4 is about one year old. Mother is holding her at one end of the table. Daddy is sitting at the ‘head’ of the table. Sisters #2 and #3 and I are present. We don’t know it, but Sex Ed 101 for Daughters is about to begin. Read the rest of this entry »
Telling the Truth 