The parking garage. You pull up, push the button and take a ticket. Once a parking space has been secured, you leave your vehicle, ticket in hand, to do what you left home to do. Doctor’s appointment. Shopping. Lunch with friends. Your business concludes and upon leaving the parking garage, you show the attendant the […]
Tag Archive > struggle
Confessions of a Pioneer
Recently a friend referred to me as a pioneer. I had to pause and ponder such an accusation. Pioneer? Me? Really? I forced myself to look beyond the stereotypical view of a pioneer. Remove the bonnet. Put in indoor plumbing. Replace a covered wagon with a Suburban. And sure enough, perhaps she’s right. Maybe I […]
The Thin Blue Line — Frayed
The thin blue line is a symbol of solidarity with law enforcement. But sometimes, the thin blue line gets frayed. My husband came home the other day with an interesting story. He was in a meeting with some of the management of his agency and the topic of PTSD came up. Sniggers and huffs […]
End of Watch
17 Alexander is 17. His father, Officer Youngstrom of the California Highway Patrol, was shot in the head on Tuesday. He made a traffic stop in Walnut Creek. Just doing his job. Maybe that morning, Alexander’s dad drove him to school. Maybe the night before, they had talked about who gets to use the car […]
Death and taxes…
“…But in this world nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes.” -Benjamin Franklin, in a letter to Jean-Baptiste Leroy, 1789 I would have to add to that short list. Change. I think change is certain. Empires rise and fall. Flowers bloom and fade. The years tick away, absorbing our youth and elasticity. […]
S is for…
Should I stay or should I go? This blog needs to start with a preface or some sort of disclaimer. I doubt this is concurrent with blogging protocol but some things must be done. So here goes. I am not trying to offer advice or counsel. This is simply my journey. If you have a […]
T is for ticked off
That seems fairly obvious doesn’t it? I mean, do I really need to spell out what being ticked off looks like? The small child in the grocery store. The tantrum thrower, lying on the vinyl flooring, arms waving and feet kicking. Unintelligible shrieks and sobbing noises come from the flailing body. We pretend not to […]
P is for partially blind
An outing to the zoo the other day warranted the taking of many pictures. My girls quickly took control of all picture taking devices and began to document our adventure. The above photo is one from that day. Can you tell what it is? Yeah, me neither. After close inspection, I have made out some […]
PTSD
Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Panic. Temper. Strain. Depression. Several years ago, I had no idea how four letters could turn someone’s life upside down. Today is my wedding anniversary. Thirteen years ago I married an amazing man. I envisioned having beautiful children and a beautiful life. For many years that is exactly what we had […]
Rights!!
My family and I are getting ready for a short term mission trip to Mexico. The last time I was getting ready for a short term mission trip to Mexico, I was in high school. Four score and seven years ago. I will never forget the preparation for the first trip. My youth pastor sat […]
