Elin Stebbins Waldal

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Pictures of You, Pictures of Me

Mar 13, 2015 By elinwaldal 22 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Living, Memories Tagged With: Aging, Motherhood, pictures, Time

Grandma’s Sweet Rolls

Nov 27, 2014 By elinwaldal 7 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Memories, NaBloPoMo Nov 14 Tagged With: Caregiving, cooking, End of Life Care, Grandma, Love, NaBloPoMo14, sweet rolls

The First Time I Was Raped

Nov 24, 2014 By elinwaldal 18 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Memories, NaBloPoMo Nov 14 Tagged With: memories, Rape, Secrets, Shame

Be Happy

Nov 4, 2014 By elinwaldal 19 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Memories, NaBloPoMo Nov 14 Tagged With: Be Happy, Friendship, Life, Love, Women

Home

Oct 10, 2014 By Elin Stebbins Waldal 13 Comments

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, […]

Filed Under: Memories Tagged With: childhood, Home, Love, memories, Safety

The Sort of Grandmother

Oct 3, 2014 By Elin Stebbins Waldal 32 Comments

  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 […]

Filed Under: Memories Tagged With: memories, Mother daughter relationship, On being a Granparent

Attitude: Perspective Day 16

Feb 16, 2014 By Elin Stebbins Waldal 8 Comments

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 […]

Filed Under: Healing from Trauma, Marriage, Memories Tagged With: Grief, Healing, Love, Noelle Pikus-Place, Olympics

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