A Letter to My Children

On the day you were bornthe round planet Earthturned toward your morning sky,whirling past darkness,spanning the night into light.On the Day you Were Born, Debra Frasier From the moment your parents announced that you were coming, you were awaited with great anticipation. Your Mom and I were back-and-forth on the phone when she began to go into labor. finally, after midnight, Grampy said “I need…

Carlton and Oletha eloped Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them. James Baldwin On the flip side of dysfunction is what..? Instruction? Living example? Surely if dysfunction is the way things do not work then the flip side must be the positive factors that make life enjoyable i.e. functional. Coping skills, love,…

If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning! Catherine Aird I am writing this bit of history that may give you insight into your own issues in childhood. It’s a fact that we carry dysfunction with us into the next generation. A walk down memory lane with me might help you understand more about the roots of my family dysfunction. And since knowledge is power… My…

This is a guest post written by my sister Sharon, an artist who’s work can be found at http://www.sfago.com Last years of life are complicated. And no one ever really tells you what that complication feels like from the inside. When I was younger there were books on how to navigate almost everything. But I haven’t found much to reference all of these feelings and changes — and I suppose that’s…

ap·o·lo·gi·a /ˌapəˈlōj(ē)ə/ – a formal written defense of one’s opinions or conduct.”
a·pol·o·gy /əˈpäləjē/
 – a regretful acknowledgment of an offense or failure. For the record let me state my core belief: I am my brother’s keeper. This refers to the moral obligation to look after and protect others. So I have accepted some responsibility for Trump’s election. It’s not that I’m too old to…

As of January 2024, over 771,000 people experienced homelessness in the United States on a single night, a record high, increasing significantly from the prior year, driven largely by the affordable housing crisis and inflation, though data from sources like HUD and the National Alliance to End Homelessness suggest this is an undercount of those experiencing temporary or hidden homelessness,…

Trust because you are willing to accept the risk, not because it is safe or certain. Ritu Ghatourey My good friend is in the hospital, having come through two critical operations. As I held her hand last night she would drift in and out. “It’s about trust, isn’t it?”, she said. She had a difficult time agreeing to this surgery even though her condition was so life-threatening as to have the…

***WHAT WE HOLD & LEAVE BEHIND: Photos of Special Objects and Linked Poems by Oregon Senior Seasoned Poets. This poetry reading and slideshow is a collaboration between photographer Jim Lommasson and poet Willa Schneberg. *** My daughter and son-in-law attended this show and it inspired me to write the following: ************************************************************************ Strange…

Dear Aisha, My love, how do I even begin to tell you what you mean to me. Your love and support have been such a joy. The first moment of your life was revelation to me – being present and assisting at your birth. It was an intimate experience for which I am grateful. I had separation anxiety when I had to go home and let your other grandmother have time with you. But then I took a step back –…

I have this little kernel of dread in the pit of my stomach.  I am not reassured by N’s response to you.  I would rather lie to you and tell you that I think it is all rosy so that you could feel full of confidence and be sure of your future. But I think it would cause you more pain in the long run.  I can see that he is being honest and fair with you, but I am not sure you are hearing him: that…

Hi Love.I have you on my mind and wish we could talk.  Your apps for college are due really soon, aren’t they?  What are your thoughts?  Do you know what you want to study?  Did you get to talk to your cousin about it? I’m wondering about school and friends just because you seem a bit upset about home and I want to you be okay. Try not to be driven by reaction mode into bad situations…be…

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal, to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, let it go.” -Mary Oliver A long time ago my sister asked me to write about my own death – what are my thoughts and feelings. I think about my own death more the older I get but not often. When I have some…

House #7 – 70 Third Street I can surmise why we left Summit Street and moved to Ashland. 70 Third Street In those early years your dad returned to his college education at every opportunity.  (I had abandoned my scholarship before my first pregnancy.) Also, he may have been working for my Dad at that time, laying floors. We all took a turn at that when times were lean. And times were lean. …

This is about me being elder. In some cultures that I have visited, this term denotes people who have lived long enough to have earned status. In others, elders are just part of the community – with responsibilities matching diminished capabilities – but still fulfilling their role. I feel differently about elders in our culture. I did not grow up around grandparents. As a child our “Christian“…

I’ve never been a patriotic zealot. I’ve loved a lot of things about my country, i.e. the land, the people… I have seen the faults – the injustice, inequity, the precepts supposedly built on ethics and morality. And still I tried to be a good citizen. But I have never believed that everything about our country is the best in the world. I think it stems from being raised in an atmosphere where…

“To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal, to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go, let it go.” – Mary Oliver I was one of the younger children in a fundamentalist family of six girls. In an era of a stay-at-home mom’s, I willingly stepped out of my college education to have children and…

House #5 18 Summit The front yard was unfenced grass in our day! Why did we move? I don’t have any idea. I guess the grass is greener on the other side of the street. So we continued our life on Summit next door to the Hansons’ and three doors down from the Jones’. We were across the street from the Reeders. I was pregnant with you, Paul, when we moved so you were born there at 18 Summit.…