Do you ever think about how you want the end of your life to look like?
Carefully studying my father, his eyes closed as he traveled deep into his memories, I decided it was time to one ask a very difficult question. Pulling up a chair, I put my hand on his and said, “Dad, I need to talk to you.” Opening up those Irish blue eyes I loved so dearly, he waited for what he thought would be a pleasant conversation, only to […]
As I sat on the phone with each of my four adult children, I became pissy with what felt like over-blown concerns about my safety. I’m not an invalid, I’m perfectly healthy with no compromised immune system, and I’m not “that” old. Then, they reminded me of my true age (67), and the targeted group for this coronavirus to wipe me out. My scheduled trip to Austin, Texas, to be present for the birth of my second grandchild was now, in their opinion out […]
Cars these days are magical machines. You can watch a screen on the dashboard instead of twisting around when backing up. You don’t need a key to start the ignition—just have the fob somewhere in the vehicle and you’re good to go. Some cars can even mostly drive themselves. But these amazing advances can be disastrous, especially when you put an active one-and-half-year-old grandson in the car.
Over the holidays, on a lovely day in Austin, Texas, I decided to take Bo on adventure to […]
Turning on the TV, I looked for something age appropriate, educational, and fun for Michelle, my two-year-old daughter. It was 1983, and I needed a distraction so I could tend to my second child, Michelle’s baby sister Jenni. Up to that point, Michelle had never watched this form of entertainment and, not familiar with any children’s programing myself, I began channel surfing. Soon, I came upon a soft-spoken man with puppets and a message about being a neighbor and how we’re all perfect just […]
Waking up that bitterly cold Sunday morning after Thanksgiving, I crawled out of my warm bed to turn on the heat, only to be faced with what looked like an explosion of massive proportions.
Everywhere in my tiny apartment were remnants from a wild weekend with my four children, their significant others, and a baby on the move. Looking at the mess, first I sighed, then broke into uncontrollable tears.
Now, one might think this geyser came from the fact that this once OCD-clean woman knew […]
“Oh, no you don’t,” I cried as I raced down the hall to grab my grandson Bo as he toddled into the bathroom, boat in hand. “I’m watching you.” Too late. As I turn the corner, Bo takes a dripping hand and boat from the toilet bowl, eyes shining brightly as he looks up at me. Giggling, he runs off for the next adventure of mischief. Some children should never be left out of sight.
As my friends became grandparents, I’d constantly hear, “Jackie, it’s […]
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