Author Archives: LD

My Father’s Day

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It’s hard to believe he’s not here with us — but even so, it’s still very much his day. Since 2015, June trips to the grocery store have become adventures in dodging the card aisle. TV viewing stings a little whenever a Father’s Day commercial makes an appearance. Meals out mean the possibility of spottting […]

Happy Birthday

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Walter is his neighbor; he lives a few doors down. There are two others in between them and even more in the general vicinity, but Walter has always been my favorite because they share the same birthday. It certainly isn’t because they knew each other (they didn’t), nor because they passed away on the same […]

Go on faith.

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“Just keep at it,” I heard him say. He’ll say things to me from time to time. Some are complete thoughts, other times they’re words that seem random but aren’t; they’re relevant to a situation or a problem, and they’re a beacon for my foggy brain. I am my father’s daughter. Stoic and reserved, I […]

One year later.

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It’s been a year. A year since our world changed forever, a year since he left. In so many ways it feels like it was just yesterday, so the fact that it’s been 365 days frequently boggles my mind. It was the 18th day of his hospital stay, and I think we all figured he’d […]

The Beauty in Loss

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One month ago, a relatively routine trip to the vet took a difficult turn. I dropped Tayo off for bloodwork and headed into the office. That same evening, I said goodbye to him. Exactly one year earlier, he’d gotten his tail kicked in what must’ve been the cat fight to end all cat fights. Ever […]

Bridge the Gap

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Confession: Whenever the sheer number of people in this world starts to come into focus — even in the tiniest way — it freaks me out. I would say that it causes heart palpitations, but that’s not entirely true…though it does seem to cause somewhat of the emotional equivalent. Confusion. Concern. I catch my breath when […]

Farewell for Now

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The two-year-old is heading for an indefinite time-out, y’all. Go ahead, reach for your tissues now. I’ll wait. …waiting… OK then. Good to go? Back to it: Thanky will be on a hiatus for the foreseeable future. It’s not that she’s been bad, she just needs time to sort through things. I’ve likened Thanky to […]

Make it Home

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The lanes were backing up in a new place. I drive them each night, but I’d never seen a situation quite like the one this evening. Five lanes merged into one, except for those drivers who peeled off or made illegal U-turns to get out of the mess. I thought about joining in, but the […]

Find your water.

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I microwaved some turkey sausage crumbles this evening and they immediately began to spark, the same way a coffee mug with a gold or silver design sparks. Dinner wasn’t off to the best start. I wasn’t quite sure what was going on. It was…turkey. Frozen crumbles. Crumbles I’ve microwaved a thousand times before. As I […]