The Vortex

(Note:  Much of my inspiration for writing comes from dreams, which I typically interpret in the form of poetry, but recently I have been challenging myself to write prose.  A Bee’s Perspective is the poetic response to the dream behind this piece.) Even as the floorboards beneath her heave and crack with a thunderous roar, […]

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Divorce Through the Rear View Mirror

Perspective is everything and seldom appreciated until the offending circumstances are well in the rear view mirror. When my former marriage fell apart, I did the unthinkable and moved out. The one that leaves loses, I’d heard over and over.  I was hell-bent that I would not lose. What I failed to do was consider […]

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How To Sabotage Happiness

“I get hit on everyday at work,” a young mother recently disclosed.  “Anyone of those men would be happy to look after me. My husband just doesn’t appreciate me enough!” I don’t know what has motivated this woman to make such a comment, but I fear she is on the brink of destroying many lives. “There […]

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Building a Marriage

Sometimes ‘aha’ moments come out of the most unexpected events. I think it started with a compliment from my son.  He and his new wife had invited the family for dinner last night, and as my husband was tied up all day, Jay offered to pick me up early. “You look nice, Mom!” were the […]

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Lunch Bag Letdown

Some stories just beg telling and this is one of them. I knew there would be trouble the minute I laid eyes on the gold lame’ lunch bag my husband plopped on the counter in front of me.  My old one, an industrial blue hardware store model, had drowned the day before in a bath […]

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The Aftermath of A Catastrophic Divorce

Marital breakdown is a catastrophic event for the whole family – one minute you’re driving down the road, all three kids on board, headed for routine activities, and the next you’ve hit a wall of water with nowhere to go but to bail out.  You might swerve off the road to avoid going under, and […]

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Lessons From Ballroom Dancing

Early on in our relationship, Ric and I signed up for ballroom dancing classes. It was a small class for beginners, so we thought it might be a good fit; both of us loved to dance. “I’m not very good at letting someone else take the lead,”  I confessed on the first night. “In dancing, […]

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Disability’s Rage

I am not always in possession of my own faculties and the resulting anger lashes out, mostly at my husband, whom I hope recognizes it is seldom personal. I hate myself in these moments – not all of me – just the malfunctioning parts. It happens when I overexert myself.  Systemic Exertion Intolerance Disease is the new […]

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Wide Turns Ahead

When illness struck our household it knocked over our bucket list, spilling much of the content into the drain.  We were like bystanders at a train wreck: watching our lives spiral out of control, desperately trying to sift through the rubble to find signs of survival. Depression, anger, and grief were just some of the […]

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Out, Damn Guilt, Out

“You’re the only help I have right now, Mom!  I just feel like I’m not a priority for you.” “When you spend all your energy on the kids, I feel as if there is never any left over for me.  I just get the dregs.” “It would be really nice if you could spend some […]

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