A Love Story That Began Almost 60 Years Ago

Today, April 2, is the anniversary of my sister Shirley's wedding. Several days after she died last July, my brother-in-law shared the story of how they came to be together. Imagine the year 1962, in a rural town in north-central New York. Three houses keep company with each other, hugged by cornfields and the main…

The Birthday Card I Will Never Send

August 2 is my sister Shirley's birthday. She would have been 76 today. Here's the birthday card I bought for her a couple of months ago. I think she would have gotten a kick out of it.  During the viewing and funeral in early July, many people came up to me and said I looked…

I’m Running Out of July

I've got only a couple of days before the month of July is over ... to which I say, Good riddance, July! For those of you new to my blog, let me start with the painful acknowledgment of my sister's death late on July 1. For context, I have three siblings and our birth order…

I Could Have Been a Better Sister #grief

I could have been a better sister. I was only nine and you were nineteen when you married and left the family home. As you took your vows, I sat in the pew, steeling myself to be quiet, voiceless cries whirling in my head: "Don't go! Don't leave me!" I was only nine and, although…

I’m Not Okay But I’ll Be All Right #grief

I am going to take a hiatus from blogging and writing online. Not that I've been doing much of either lately but why not make it official. Here's the deal: my sister Shirley is dying. The sister with Parkinson's. The sister who has been dodging health curveballs most of her adult life. The only one…