Snapshots from Senior Week/Graduation It was a week of red bliss- which accurately describes both my face and the potato salad I overbought. (Thursday) Middle Daughter kept looking at me, “Don’t cry Mom,” she’d said. Of course that didn’t help, and the tears came anyway. I looked away but I didn’t want to. … Continue reading The Week of Red Bliss
Gratitude
Faith, Love, Strength
Christmas 2013 (Letter to Family and Friends, edited) I was 11 when I first started keeping a journal. I loved how I could write anything I wanted and could go back and read it whenever I wanted. I could experience some of those feelings again just by reading and remembering. For me, it was powerful. … Continue reading Faith, Love, Strength
God Bless The Outcasts
I am not in this picture. I don't know why. There are gaps in my high school memories, huge and numerous holes that I'm trying to fill in, even if just a little. I've enlisted the help of Facebook Messenger... and my old friends who were there, of course. I know the kids in this … Continue reading God Bless The Outcasts
Mid-Life Lessons at 45
Yes, that is my age; for anyone whom I did not go to school with, just in case you were wildly curious, but were afraid to ask. I'm not about to claim any ground-breaking revelations here, and I'm not operating under the delusion that everyone will agree with me. But as I no longer consider … Continue reading Mid-Life Lessons at 45
The Story
I don't know much about the Vietnam War except what's been written in U.S. history textbooks. I am not a history buff. I know what my Dad, a veteran, has chosen to tell me, and that's very little. I know it was a war that divided generations of Americans, many stuck in their own … Continue reading The Story
Potluck
I grew up thinking potluck dinners were the only way to feed a large gathering of people. My Dad grew up in a large family, and I have more cousins than I could name when I was little. We would gather several times a year- my Gram's birthday, Christmas Eve, spring clean-ups. My aunts would … Continue reading Potluck
Part Time
I heard a Hootie and the Blowfish song, "Hold my Hand," on the radio the other day and I was immediately taken back to my high school job at the mall. It was my junior year, and I was working at J. Riggings, a tiny little men's clothing store. It was in a corner … Continue reading Part Time
Keeping Score
I keep score in my house; a weird sort of medical-injuries-and-emergencies score. So far... First one to break a bone: Eldest daughter, collarbone vs. cubbies at Pre-k, June 2005 (I told her not to run inside!). First (and only so far) to ride in ambulance: Eldest daughter (see above). First one to get stitches: Youngest … Continue reading Keeping Score
If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
"If I knew then what I know now..." One of my Facebook friends posted that the other day. Before I commented, I took the time to read what other people had to say. Someone said that they'd make all the same decisions again, because you can't learn from your mistakes if you don't make them. … Continue reading If I Knew Then What I Know Now…
Reflections
My Dad arrived in Viet Nam on his 21st birthday. He didn't share much more than that when my brother and I were kids. He'd brought a few souvenirs back with him, some tall black wooden vases with etchings on them, and he'd told us a little about where he got them. He … Continue reading Reflections
Gretchen L. Mulroy 