There I was, sitting in row three of the balcony, dead-center. It was the Phoenix Symphony Holiday Concert with the Phoenix Choir, and within seconds of the start of the song, tears began to form. Soon, I was searching for Kleenex in my purse to dab those I couldn’t blink back. The top of my mask absorbed the runaways. I never got close to a sob, but I felt my bottom lip quiver. Fortunately, the tears were gone by the final note. “I’m dreaming of a white Christmas, just like the ones I used Continue Reading
Going Home -Part 1
Can you ever go home again? And what does that mean to you? I ask because in a couple of days, I’m on my way home. Oh, not permanently, but for a brief visit, enough to conjure up warm memories that are already making me a bit gooey inside. The smell of spray starch when I bounded in from school and chatted with my mom while she did the ironing.The slap, slap of the cards on the dining room table as Dad played solitaire every night.The snow forts we’d make in the winter when the snow plow Continue Reading
Olympics and Politics
“Are you watching the Olympics?” It was a simple question posed by a woman on a local Facebook group, less than 72 hours after the opening ceremony. Many people said yes and many, a simple no, and I understand. The sixteen-day focus on sports is not for everyone. Then I saw a wave of other responses like this: (Paraphrased) When these athletes start respecting this great country, I’ll watch again. Not this year. I refuse to support these people who don’t represent my America. They Continue Reading
If a picture is worth a thousand words …
Is a picture worth a thousand words? If so, I have enough to create my own personal set of encyclopedias. Anyone else share this dilemma with me? When I was packing to make the move to Arizona, I unearthed a forgotten box of photos on a shelf in the basement. I’ll sort these later, I told myself. Well, later was this past month. With all my clubs and activities still shut down, and my favorite college basketball teams at a standstill, I decided to open the box and free up some closet space Continue Reading