family

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… Continue reading A Love Story That Began Almost 60 Years Ago

family

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… Continue reading The Birthday Card I Will Never Send

family

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… Continue reading I’m Running Out of July

family

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… Continue reading I Could Have Been a Better Sister #grief

life

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