The spring of my daughter’s wedding, she asked if we could ride the Virginia Creeper Trail together. We traveled to Damascus, the midpoint of the thirty-five mile trail, rented bikes and chartered a lift to the trailhead seventeen miles up in Whitetop. That first year was perfectly magical! We shared a quaint little room in …
Focus Forward
As I drove home from visiting my daughter in the mountains earlier this evening, I watched the sun setting. My southeastern route meandered through the foothills and the pinks and oranges of dusk stayed to my right until one winding section placed the western sky right in front of me. This is the view I …
Eavesdropping
I thought I heard my granddaughter stirring in her crib as I brushed my teeth in the guest bath across from her room. I stood outside her door, holding my breath to listen, as I’ve done hundreds of times before with my own children. I waited for the sound of her rhythmic breathing before heading …
I Got Nothing
I’m a fixer. I’m not at the same level as my mother who has more trouble sitting still than I do. I’m not lazy; just a hair more laid back like my dad. Still it’s hard for me to admit I don’t have the answer. Not every situation has an accounting solution where the spreadsheet …
Magnify
My youngest strode across the blacktop, chest puffed out, looking like he was about to pop. Before he was even in the car, in a rush of words he explained how he was the only one who already knew how to use the microscopes and how the professor had asked him to help everyone else …
Are Your Ears Itching?
When I was younger, I remember my grandparents asking someone if their ears were burning, meaning that someone, possibly even they, had been talking about them behind their backs. Maybe my papa’s mother had heard someone gossiping about someone else at the mill or maybe a little bird told my grandmother. These commonly used idioms …
No Fear of Missing Out
The kids are in bed. My husband snores contentedly by my side. The laundry and dishes are all caught up. I’ve brushed my teeth and climbed into bed, only I’m unable to close my eyes for more than a minute. I must be forgetting something. It’s simply too quiet. Everything seems to be in order …
Not What I Want
I experience claustrophobia in moving crowds, more particularly behind moving crowds. When the way ahead is clear, I breathe easier. When my way is blocked by a wall of humanity, even though we are all moving in the same direction, I hold my breath and make a dash for the nearest opening. Shopping malls have …
Out With The Old
Thomas and I crossed the restaurant to speak to a group of ladies, friends I hadn’t seen in several years. He clung to me bashfully, face against my shoulder, until one of the others used her experienced grandmother voice to draw him out. After that, he was all smiles and we all laughed at the …
Final Destination
My husband and I applied for our RealID cards to replace our drivers licenses on the same day. Neither of us will ever forget the experience. We tell the story around the dinner table and still get a good belly laugh. The camera operator insisted on taking several shots until my husband smiled to her …
A Fitting Reply 