Navigating Distance and Devotion in Our Late 50s Eleven Windows Like the changes in our life that hit so hard That day I couldn’t find you There’s a glimmer of everything good that once came before From "Glimmer" by Neil Young, 2014 Three days before my 58th birthday,...
My mother died on Christmas Eve, 2017. Under the weight of that first grief, I consoled myself with a private hope: that I would grow closer to my mother-in-law, who was 15 years younger than my mom. It felt like a small mercy, a second chance at maternal closeness....
Barn Near Luther, Oklahoma | Photo by Jennifer Chronicles | ALL RIGHTS RESERVEDAn earlier version of this post appeared on the Gen-X Substack. 🐙 Billy Beans: Deep Where the Stories Live For the past few summers, I’ve been retracing the steps of my misspent youth,...
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday. You are the bows from which your children as living arrows are sent forth. The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite, and He bends you with His might that His arrows may go swift and far. Let your...
I have told you this so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. John 15:11 I work alone every day. The hours pass very quickly between school drop off and pick up. Bridgy's last day of high school is Wednesday. My days will grow longer. I've been...
Sullivan in the Role of Kenickie Murdoch We are so proud of our son Sullivan. Earlier this fall, he decided to tryout for Grease, this year's school musical selection. He's never been in a production before so it was really exciting when he landed a major supporting...
How To Trim A Hoop Baton, etc. Check out these beautiful pictures of Bridgy twirling her hoop baton on the sideline at the McGuinness Homecoming game on September 21, 2023. The theme of the game was "gold out" so we trimmed her hoop baton with this amazing gold...
The Super Bridgy is growing up, y'all. Check out these amazing photos of her taken by the talented Oklahoma City photographer, Ms. Diana Bittle. Wow! We are so blessed and very grateful. These pictures were taken at the tailgating party at St. Charles Borromeo...
When I spotted this photo of a 1970s mom holding a glass of green Kool-Aid I knew I had to buy it! I discovered it on Etsy, one of my favorite online marketplaces. It reminded me of that Kool-Aid slogan, which first appeared in 1979: "Moms depend on Kool-Aid like kids...
I don't remember the day my mother left my father and siblings and the sea-green stucco house on Sigman Street. I don't remember the fight that drove her to leave. There were so many fights every day, all day long. I don't remember arriving at my grandparents'...
People with flowers are always going somewhere To a church, to a wedding, to a graveyard. Home, to try to make their empty lives as full as blossoms. I'm like people with flowers because they are trying Because they haven't given up... --Rod McCuen, 1933-2015 Pictures...
DAILY PHOTO and a STORY: Eddi, 1971. I lived in 16 different houses and attended 12 different schools in 10 different towns across six different states between 1974 and 1985. God blessed me with a best friend in every town. Eddi was my best friend from my time in the...