Hand Carved Birds & Little Wooden Chairs
When I was five, my grandfather died, and the kindergarten circus was at the same time as his funeral. My memories of the two things are all mixed up: it was the first funeral I went to, and when I think about it, I remember jumping through a hula hoop meant to be a ring of fire at the circus dress rehearsal and also my parents checking me out of school before the actual circus for the funeral, walking to the car, confused about what death really meant and what a funeral would be like.
The Hand-Me-Down Cookbook
I have a shelf of books, up high where my children can’t reach them. They are mostly old books, ones that need to be kept out of reach of little hands. Some are copies autographed by the author; most are from the 1950’s; copies of Little House on the Prairie and childrens books that have been passed down from parents and grandparents.
Five Years
Five years ago, we said goodbye. It was morning when you slipped away, quietly leaving behind this world. We’d known it was coming, had been waiting for the cancer to have it’s final say.