Your emotionally immature parent Took things as they came Gave everything they had Hoped it would be enough. Your emotionally immature parent Saw the best in you Believed the best in you Tried to see the best in themselves. Looked. Hoped. Believed. Your emotionally immature parent Actually cared Tried to make life good for you…
Tag: grief
In the End
We kept her alive maybe longer than we should have. The four of us. But those extra years were bonus years. Even when she didn’t know us…
Missing the Point
In missing the point, it is possible to miss the entire experience.
When the Cows Cry
In the evening, the cows up on the hill at the Lonesome Dove Ranch cry as if they’ve lost their calves. It reminds me of my last phone call with my father.
The Problem With You
Be different. But not completely different. Just different in the way we think you should be different. Different in the way we think others think you should be different. Because we know. And they know. Better than you. Who you should be. Regardless of who you are.Regardless of how you feel.Regardless of what you know.Regardless…
Linger
Lost another dear friend to cancer. So many beloved friends and family fighting that fight, and I often contemplate the reality that I may soon join them. You never know when it’s the last conversation you’ll have with someone. You bump into them at the local mercantile—of all people, you bump into them. You catch…
Beautiful Response
Stories of incredible suffering can be beautiful in hindsight, not because of the suffering but because of the beautiful response.
Midnight Plane
Some things in life are like a midnight plane crash that happens when you didn’t even know your plane was going down. Someone slaps you back to consciousness and says, “You’re alive. You’re badly hurt, but you made it.” You crawl around in the dark trying to make sure all your family members made it,…
More To Me
There are endless hiking trails nearby, many much closer than this one. But I return to Big Mountain more often than not. It’s where I work out the stresses of recent weeks and the sorrows of recent years. “I climb so I can feel tired and sore in places other than my heart.” At first…
Go Easy
We all have wounds. Some visible. Some not. Some we had the opportunity to properly mourn. Some not. Some healed. Some not. We can’t begin to identify who is or is not in pain. Go easy.
What It Is
I’m learning not to weigh the good against the bad—the gains against the losses—in determining the sum of things. The good is so much better standing alone where the bad has no hold over it by comparison. I’m taking the moments as they come, crying over some, rejoicing over others, and letting each be what…
Every New Thing
There will always be demand for another new story. For another new song. For a new chord progression. For a new perspective. For a new sunrise. For a new sunset. For a new day. For a new in between. There is room for every new thing. Even while there’s a repeat of every old thing….
Fragmentary Life 