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 »
‘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 »
Simple elegance
Strong body
Sun bonnet
casts shade over
tumbling tresses
Hint of smile
Head turns slightly
Eyes averted
Basket of posies
loops gracefully
around bare forearm
Sweet dress
swirls gently over
exposed ankles
Feet clad in
flat slippers
firmly grounded
Left arm cradles
shepherd’s crook
worn and ready
at her side
Beware wolves
in shepherd’s clothing
© Elouise Renich Fraser, 4 September, 2014
Photo credit: DAFraser
Statue stands in the Main Fountain Garden of Longwood Gardens, PA
Not once have I blamed Daddy for his beatings and troubling behavior toward me. In Part 3 of The Air I Breathed, I talked about my habit of constantly blaming myself. I didn’t like seeing this then, and I still don’t like it. Blaming myself may have been OK as a survival skill when I was a young child and teenager; it’s not OK now, decades later.
So where am I today? Read the rest of this entry »
I haven’t always called myself God’s beloved daughter-child. For years I wouldn’t have dared presume such a high-minded view of myself. How did this happen? And how might this help me think about what I believed when I was 11 years old?
This post is about the first question: How did this happen? The second will wait. Thanks for being patient. If I don’t address today’s topic first, I’ll end up picking my childhood theology to pieces. Read the rest of this entry »
It’s September 1997, less than a year since Diane was diagnosed with ALS. The disease seems to have a mind of its own. In her case, it has decided to concentrate on her ability to speak. Diane wrote the following piece about this loss. 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 »
By the summer of 1997, about 1 ½ years after diagnosis, Diane’s speech and body no longer look or behave as usual. Sadly, I no longer know how to behave as usual around her. ALS is invading her body and her life. 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 »
Telling the Truth 