Fishnet Stockings and Thanksgiving
Photo credit to Adam Croh, “Walking on the Snow” I didn’t see that she was crying. It was the ripped fishnet stockings that grabbed my attention. The stumbling young girl in a black mini skirt navigated the slippery snowy sidewalk in heels. A large grapefruit-sized hole bared her right thigh to the freezing morning air.…
Hey, You! (Yes, You… The Word is Out)
A light powder of snow dusts the deck, reflecting white in the darkness, and cars from the six pm rush-hour whirr by on the road outside. Vivaldi violins and strings crescendo suddenly from the internet radio here, and muffled bath noises pinpoint my five year old’s position. Hey you, friend? Yes, YOU. (Smiling over here…
What a Middle Eastern Man Would Tell You
She smiles to herself as she scrolls pages on her laptop, a Mona Lisa mystery, this stranger in a coffee shop. Black- and green-garbed coffee baristas tamp espresso grounds and make machines hum and hiss. They hand me a tall dark roast coffee and a warmed-up chocolate croissant. Condensation beads on the windowsill beside me,…
A Cosmic Wager: A Dare Thrown Across the Galaxies
And that’s the cosmic wager. A dare thrown across the galaxies, between two ethereal spirit beings. Like dice in a cup, the stakes are set, and humanity tumbles into the bowl. With swift inhales, the invisible spirit world leans in for a better angle. Before this, the parameters were set. Striding into God’s throne room,…
Through Glass-Panes, Army Fatigues, and Deepening Twilight
He arrives with a familiar ta-da-da-ta-dah tapping on the door, and there’s no mistaking that capped man through the glass door. My dad steps inside, his dark cap matching his black chaplain jacket. “Dad, hi! Come on in.” I jump down the stairs, kick stray shoes off to the side, and hug him. “The house…
How Do You Live Without Regrets?
“Jen, do whatever it takes to rearrange your schedule and make it happen. It may well be your last chance.” The email finds me late one night, as insomnia stalks me. Curled up in the corner near an outlet, I’m reading emails after midnight. Blue light from the ipad casts a blinding glow across my…
The Secret Lives of Teens
They scare me sometimes, I confess. Or they have in the past. The tough-looking ones who are angry and sad at the world, bristling for a fight. Bored teens milling at store entrances, or jostling each other on the side of the road.Or the teen girls on the cutting edge of fashion, as I am…
Where Do You Hide Out A Storm?
On a long windy gray pier in Duluth, tourists wrap overcoats tight and pace the length, peering down steep embankments to the treacherous water below. White freshwater gulls dive and parry for bread scraps, sounding like a coastal town. Giant oil and iron ships pass under the lift-bridge, while stern metal signs warn pedestrians to…
How Not to Bomb Your Own Bonding Family Moment
How do you carve out time for family, without it ending messy and broken? It was one of those mornings. We had planned all weekend to spend some family time carving pumpkins. Saturday’s cold rain stole our motivation to purchase pumpkins. Sunday raced by with a bevy of teen friends over: guys playing games downstairs,…
Hungry for the Best Day Ever?
Flaky pastry crumbs tumble off orange-vested autumn color. He eats with a surprising blend of seriousness and gusto. Focused on the apple turnover, he nibbles and chews. Focused on him, I snap photos and realize how this wild love for my son melts me inside. At the apple orchard, we purchase tickets for a wagon…