Breathtaking
At the symphony, the tall woman loses focus during Strauss. When she returns from intermission, she seems determined to try again. A row of men who resemble retired diplomats watch … Continue reading
The Fence, The Dog, The Gasp.
There’s a creature sniffing in the bushes, this is clear to the small girl with a set of freshly coiled braids. She tugs at her pink backback on her walk … Continue reading
Table Manners
Is it raining? At an outdoor café in Novi Sad under an expansive web of umbrella-like-awnings, I wait for a slice of pizza. The tent above is tapped like there … Continue reading
The Church Flirt
The church is freezing, though it isn’t particularly cold outside. Suddenly even attending Mass seems an exceptionally pious act. The tourists walking through blow steam from their lips. They clasp … Continue reading
Mess Things Up.
After all, there is nothing but failure. If at least we have the will to fail we make progress. If we give up each time before we have started we … Continue reading
My First Trip To Europe Anxiety. Part I.
Glory. I’ve uncovered a notebook from my first trip to Europe six years ago. I was absolutely terrified! Reading this reminds me how new I have become in the last … Continue reading
Ancestors
Because I, only I, see her smile a fraction before it reaches her face…Because her … Continue reading
Nana, did you have any idea?
Not a day of strangers, I spent the afternoon with my niece Addyson (yes, that Addyson). My mother’s birthday gift was a surprise on her return from Oregon. We cleaned … Continue reading
Thank You For Searching, You Nice Strangers
One of my favorite things is to see the search terms that bring people to the blog. I wanted to share my ten favorites. Many made me laugh, but still, … Continue reading
Concerto for Cello and Springs
An infant boy in red-footed-pajamas races down the moving sidewalk. His curly locks bounce as he bounds. Bystanders cringe as he nears the end, his father breaking into a sprint … Continue reading
A Hailstorm, An Opportunity.
Visiting Oregon last week, we stopped through to visit the farm where my Grandparents lived and worked most of their lives. My grandparents have both passed on, but they are … Continue reading
Cheer up, Buttercup.
A little girl with curly blonde hair perches in her stroller with a scowl. Her mother navigates toward their departure gate, and the girl’s lips are twisted, her brow gathered, … Continue reading
Iceland. Or The Moon.
How foolish we were to be afraid of loneliness. -Graham Greene. The Heart of the Matter.
Lead Thyself
I would rather make mistakes in kindness and compassion than work miracles in unkindness and hardness. Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. –Mother Teresa of … Continue reading
The Life Cycle
The recreation center is busy, but like in a scene from a film, the crowd parts for a miniscule elderly lady sauntering slowly toward an exercise bike. She chooses one … Continue reading
To Slow Down, Change Locations
He wanted to slow life up and he quite rightly felt that by traveling he would make time move with less rapidity. You have this noticed yourself, I expect, on … Continue reading
Okay, Here We Go
“That’s a good dog,” she says as her huge creature chases a panicked wild bunny, then runs into the neighbor’s yard to relieve itself. “Go get that rabbit. I know … Continue reading
Saturday-Ja-Vu: How To Kill Time
Some days feel more land-locked than others. I was reminded of Croatian bus drivers and border crossings today, though I haven’t spotted either one. And children and adults staying entertained … Continue reading
Shedding and the Herd
October, cemetery paths, the world is losing its hair and its teeth, which is just another way of saying that yellow leaves kept falling from the trees. -Günter Grass. The … Continue reading
Wave To Mama
A mother shuffles away from the school bus stop after her daughter has boarded. She moves like it is exceptionally early in the morning, though the sun is up and … Continue reading
The Nice Thing About Strangers 