Piss & Vinegar

Piss & Vinegar

Once after one of his many brushes with death, my father filled out a Five Wishes packet. Under “If anyone asks how I want to be remembered, please say the following about me:” he wrote, “He worked hard at being a good person. It was really a battle for him.” He...
Mi Rosa

Mi Rosa

When I told Chelsie my “Mi Rosa” story after returning from my honeymoon in Cancun, we laughed a very good, good laugh. I am emotional and sentimental at heart. We all know this. Upon landing in Mexico, I was given a beautiful, light pink, almost peachish rose, and it...
When Things Aren’t Alright

When Things Aren’t Alright

“I don’t like Nana be sick” my little niece said, her voice cracking, lip quivering, tears welling up in her eyes. My mother had just been moved to recovery after an uneventful surgery, but she was experiencing some nausea, so she was retching. The three-year-old was...
Stop All The Clocks

Stop All The Clocks

We were provided thirty pages of poems and readings in my funeral celebrant training. The deathling in me sat down with my highlighter, ready to add some new gems to my repertoire. I have lots of go-to quotes and poems as-is, and was eager for more. To my surprise, I...
Are You Afraid To Fly?

Are You Afraid To Fly?

“Are you afraid to fly?” the man next to me asked. I watched as the ground, the land, the red-dirt, pulled away from us, never turning my gaze away from the window, head bowed, shaking it. No. No. My tears. My pain.  My heavy…was traveling to, and then back home from...