I told a friend today that I was ready for a humdrum normal day. Marv is still going strong and last week he washed both cars one day and mopped all our tile floors on another. Meanwhile, my cough has not gotten better, and as of today I’m on steroids and an inhaler. “Not fair,” …
Category: memoir
God’s Grace #5: God Sightings this Week
I wasn’t going to church on Sunday. I was sick. Last minute I decided to go. Our “cantor,” who rarely sings a solo, sang a solo. And it was my favorite song: “When peace like a river attendeth my way…” We sang it at my folks’ funerals and at one of my sister’s. I choked …
God’s Grace #4: Tidying Up
Marv purged the pantry today. He’s been our grocery shopper and dinner maker for 46 of our 55 years. I think he doesn’t want me to find outdated cans when I take over his role. This week has been one in which we are planning for my future. His is secure; we just don’t know …
God’s Grace #3: A Written Legacy
Our kids, ages 50 and 48, want to know Marv’s stories. I guess it’s good to know, since his time is now limited to tell them. This strikes me as tremendously ironic, because I’ve been a huge proponent on this blog of documenting your stories. I’ve warned, more than once, that if you don’t write …
God’s Grace #2: An Adventure
We are home. Just a few hours after I wrote my last post filled with optimism about our travels, Marv said it’s time to go home. The word journey came to mind: we had to journey home on this journey of living with cancer As I made preparations, I decided I hate words we associate …
God’s Grace…
Just two weeks ago, my husband was diagnosed with lung cancer. We were traveling from Sioux Falls to Arizona when the call came. He’d made it clear to his doctors before we left that if results of previous tests were unfavorable, he was thankful for the life God has given him and would not be …
OLLI: Pig Brains, Shoeshoes, and More
Winter in Sioux Falls can be a bit snowy and cold, but, with the help of mind-expanding OLLI classes, the days fly by. In the first week alone, I learned about senior resources in Sioux Falls; a gal here has started a business where she will help you plan the retrofit of your house to …
Growing Older: On Turning Seventy-six
The sobering thing for me about turning 76 is that I'm getting closer than ever to 80. Eighty! My head tells me I'm 29, my body says 99 on some days, and the me that's hanging around between these two ages is now on the way to 80. The most joyful thing about turning 76 …
Changes in Nursing Since I Retired
Sitting at my husband's hospital bedside recently, I marveled at the changes I saw in nursing since I retired just seventeen years ago. I know I sound really old, but here's a list of what I saw being done differently: The endless use of gloves: I only wore gloves if a patient was in isolation. …
Write Along with Me #6: The Story You Need to Tell
"At some point you will be knocked to the ground. Every one of us will." With that statement, Sandra Marinella starts her book titled The Story You Need to Tell: Writing to Heal from Trauma, Illness, or Loss. (2017. New World Library: CA). I came across this book last week while perusing Amazon for books …
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Write Along with Me 