A friend and colleague posted a thing on social media called ‘20 Albums That Made an Impact on Me’ and I thought I’d use it as a topic for this space, which has been feeling rather neglected of late. As Elisa said, not every post will have a story with it, but knowing me, it will … First up is Mad Daddys Cat Scratch Fever. If you know my story, this album (EP, if you want to get all technical about it) wasn’t about the music. It was about my dear friend, known here as guitarist Screamin’ Johnson. Outside the…
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The tears were salty and made my view blurry as I washed dishes this morning. It was 5:30 am and I realized my dad would have turned 80 today. I mean, I realized October 17th was coming; I was reading my devotional a couple mornings ago and thought Wow, Dad’s birthday would have been in a couple days. This coming December 9th will mark 25 years since he was killed in that car accident and I’m still angry. I’m angry because I didn’t get to see the driver who killed him, to look him in the face. I was pregnant,…
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Didjya ever notice that people complain about the darnedest stuff? So here’s the thing. We attract what we complain about. Now, before you start throwing things (like whatever device you are using to read this post) or close the site all together, hang with me. After Christopher died, I joined a website for others who’d lost spouses and significant others. It was a wonderful support and has continued to be so, in that there are different pages for those at different stages. There are spots for those who have dealt with hospice, those who’ve remarried, and more. One of the…
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My devotional reading this morning was about recognizing that we all are destined for something similar, no matter what our beliefs: eventually, this physical shell will cease to function and the part of us that is ‘us’ will go on. Every week or two weeks, depending on schedules, there’s a small group of us who meet and we spend the time encouraging one another. One of our party talked about wanting to grow old well — how some people’s minds go, but their bodies stay spry, while others have a sharp mind and a broken-down body. Our prayer for her…
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Chances are, if you feel some type of way about tithing, this post will get under your skin. But please read on. When I say ‘church’ and ‘tithing’, you might think of Tammy Faye and Jim. Or the Righteous Gemstones … Okay, sure. There have been and are groups of people who are unscrupulous. They are, without a doubt, out to separate you from your hard-earned cash monies. I used a photo (and click it to visit the homepage for the show) of the Righteous Gemstones because much of what it’s about speaks to that unscrupulous crowd. Yes, it is…
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Who remembers the forgotten: the white bicycles that fade in the sun; the crosses and plastic flowers, whose visitors appear on Sundays after church; the dogs and cats left bloating in the sun; living room and bedroom remnants, tossed in the dark? Who remembers the forgotten: the nowhere people who haunt fields and washes, had jobs, or maybe not, and have nowhere to go; those who seek handouts and create sad stories to part other folks from their cash? Who remembers the forgotten: until they too join the ranks? Have you ever seen someone dealing with homelessness and wanted to…
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Have you ever been somewhere and things were just … off? You know that thing where you look at the door out of the corner of your eye because it might be crooked. Or you squint while looking at the picture on the wall because the person in it might have moved an inch to the left since the last time you walked by.. Yeah. All of that. It may look like a mansion, and it is … or was … Things were a bit off at the old Cave. If you check the archives, there have been goings on…
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How many of us have them? You know I had to, right? I mean, how could I write a post about friends and not start off with Whodini??? I need to smile. Smiling helps when the heart is broken. Memories fade, even of people who make what seems like an indelible mark on the psyche; the accuracy of the mind\’s eye fades and mental pictures turn to dust. I can\’t remember the name of the guy who used to live under the bush behind Denny\’s. I mean, it\’s not like he was just a guy I saw every now and…
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You know that old phrase, right? How often have you said or thought, or heard someone say something akin to it? I saw an advert for cheap cremation a few days back. The site offered a short questionnaire to gather last wishes and a way to pay for all of it prior to end of life. That way, things will (ideally) be done the way the person wants it, with little left to others. I like that idea, since I think my wishes are pretty simple. Last week marked yet another social display of grief and remembrance for a public…