The Kodak paper envelope with its signature yellow color is as familiar as my reflection once was. And I feel my heart sink just a little when I realize there is not one picture of me in the 36 images from the developed role. It was 17 years ago. Other than I was the one […]
Grandma’s Sweet Rolls
Crouched down I retrieved the binder which is beyond bursting with recipes—some clipped from newspaper, some from magazines, while others were passed on. I knew what I was looking for when I flipped the tab marked “BREADS” to the side. Her long-hand penmanship came into view — Grandma’s Sweet Rolls — involuntarily I sat on […]
The First Time I Was Raped
The first time I was raped was in the back seat of a car. I was 16. In those days the legal age to drink was 18, and underage drinking mostly went unnoticed. It was pretty typical for all of us kids to first hit the Connecticut bars, then, once they closed, head to either Port Chester or Purchase — state line […]
Be Happy
A few days ago I caught up on the phone with one of my oldest and dearest friends, her name is Jeanne. Not long into the call she shared that, although she wasn’t seriously hurt, she had been hit by a car while riding her bike. Even though I have told myself a thousand times over–she is safe […]
Home
When I think of home–I don’t think as much about place–as I do about feel. What does being at home in my mind feel like? For me it boils down to two things, safety and love. Even though I have had times in my life where I was not at home with myself, or safe, […]
The Sort of Grandmother
My minds hand tugs at the line between now and then, one hand feeds the other and I watch as the past moves into view. It was a rainy autumn day. Even now I can feel the fluttering beat of my heart as it kept time with the windshield wipers. The road ahead –like me– disappearing, reappearing with the pass of […]
Attitude: Perspective Day 16
Noelle Pikus-Pace. Wow. Just wow. In the note she wrote to herself that read: “This is it. Don’t get scared now.” followed by a smiley face, Noelle Pikus-Pace set the stage for herself; smile–just smile. I doubt there is a soul alive who watched Noelle Pikus-Pace climb up over the rail and into the stands […]