Posts by Jennifer Dougan
Under Your Pile of Hats, I See It
Sitting side by side at the kitchen table, we are surrounded by slivers of blue, green, and black construction paper. Photo of Neptune and moon Triton, NASA Solar System Exploration, Creative Commons cc license “Here, this will be the volcano,” I say, taping a grey three-dimensional cone onto a round blue sphere. “This is the…
Read MoreOf Oil Swirls and the Painter’s Canvases
Remnants of Korean Steak Wraps spread sesame oil and soy sauce in brown swirls beside romaine lettuce leaves on two plates still on the table. Minced garlic and ginger hang fragrant in the air. Photo: Megan Myers, Creative Commons cc license My husband’s voice slips out from seven year old Daniel’s bedroom, reading a bedtime…
Read MoreOne Fraction of a Moment is All We Get to Decide…
And you can say what you want, but it all comes down to one split second…. One fraction of a moment is all you get to decide. Speak or not? Respond harshly or not? Rise up defensively or seek reconciliation? Click or don’t click? Photo: David Melchor Diaz, Creative Commons, cc license Despite our values,…
Read MoreYour Bold Audacious Hope
“I wonder if he’s still here,” I told Morgan as we ducked our heads low, dodging rainfall across the parking lot. Inside Dunn Brothers, an espresso machine hissed and whirred, while baristas tamp-tamped old coffee grounds from metal filters. Photo: Petteri Sulonen, Creative Commons, cc license “No, he’s gone,” I noticed, seeing someone else at…
Read MoreCoaxing Friendship Between Siblings
There were days when I wasn’t sure of it myself: this brave notion we were telling them. “It’s true,” I had insisted. “Friends may come and go, but family is always there. Brothers and sisters can be really close friends.” They had stood there scowling. He was mad that she had crumbled his Lego creations…
Read MoreYour Bedouin Invitation
There are suitcases straddling the couch and sleeping bags coiled beside them. Photo: Charles Roffey, Creative Commons, cc license Photo: Kashfi Halford, Creative Commons, cc license “Do you think it’ll be cold?” I ask, grabbing a blue plaid shirt. There are replies from across the house. “We can always layer more, I guess.” Phone calls…
Read MoreShoved and Elbowed by God
Photo: Raul Lierberwirth, Creative Commons, cc license Drying my hands on my pants, I stepped around the corner. Sitting outside the church sanctuary on hallway benches, a young couple leaned close. Smiling and bending down to hug them, I talked briefly, already hearing the first song playing. Photo: Theen Moy, Creative Commons, cc license My…
Read MoreIn between the Doorbell and the Cheetah Print
“Mark, would you mind carrying the heavy basket of laundry to the bedroom, please?” It seemed counter-productive to lug away the pile of unfolded clean clothes without finishing them, but I knew that people would be arriving shortly and I wanted the crumpled jeans, rumpled shirts, cheetah print underwear out of the living room. Stacking…
Read MoreWhat the Engagement Books Never Tell You
Our words hung in the air, awkward and heavy. With anger and hurt on both sides, there was no easy fix. Photo: Ed Yourdon, Creative Commons, cc license “I have to go. Morgan needs to get to class.” The drive is quiet, somber; a respectful honor in the silence. Beside a sunny library window, I…
Read MoreThose Life Adventures You’re Excited For — Guess Who’s In the Wings?
Fifty cents for a refill of the house coffee after hugging Amy and Tasha goodbye and I’m back at Coffee Talk. Sitting at an outside round glass-topped table on the front porch, the table trembles as I write and the 9:20 am sun is just cresting a tall pine tree to my left. Cars, trucks,…
Read More