I don’t know when I lost her. She held on as long as she could. I was aloof. Careless. I loved her. I just never showed her how much. Now I can’t. She has flown away forever. I saw caterpillars. She saw butterflies.

I was flicking through sites on my phone while enjoying my morning coffee when I read an advertisement for a writing competition. To be eligible you were required to write a story of between one and five thousand words about a situation where you survived or had beaten the odds. I thought I love to write; I could do this! I finished my coffee and went back inside and headed to my home office and started my laptop and open...

The impact was sudden and fierce. But the fear didn’t set in until I saw the vehicle that rear-ended me rolling toward me. “I’m not ready to die,” I prayed out loud. Then I closed my eyes and let faith wash over me. When I opened my eyes again, the silver SUV was inches from my door. Miraculously, it was standing on its side instead of on top of me. I released the breath I didn’t know I was holding and let fat tears roll...

The longer I’m in limbo, the more the music takes over… You know the moment you put the needle on the record.  When you get the lead-in, the snap, crackle and bop of anticipation.  It always gets me.  Every time.  The second just before the tune kicks in.  You’ve got to feel it.   Take this morning’s offering.  Going by the name of The Cat, courtesy of the legend that was “The incredible... Jimmy Smith”.  He’s a current f...

I go into town on the night I arrive home.  I was bound to.  I’ve been away for a while and I want to see what’s going on.  I have a bit of a sleep when I’ve dumped my stuff in my room but, after that, I’m feeling more refreshed.  Then I have a soak in the bath and get ready.  I leave the house and head up the streets.  It’s weird coming back.  There’s a feeling of novelty about it, tinged with the inevitable familiarity...

Pop! Pop! Pop! She flung herself off her bed, hitting the ground with a thump! Two black furballs became airborne, startled by their human's sudden movement. Thankfully, cats always landed on their feet. Her pounding heartbeat annoyed her as she struggled to listen for more pops. As a further upset, her constant companion, Anxiety, screamed, "You're gonna die! You're gonna die, woman!"  Becoming one with the carpet, she l...

The Boy Able to take advantage of a much-ballyhooed birthday gift, my son successfully completed an introductory snorkeling class. We then went shopping. Standing at the mercy of an empty big box sporting goods store, not comforted by the proper diving specialty shop we should have visited, I quickly realized my mistake. The sales associate was young and kind, but ultimately unknowledgeable. Dismayed with the struggling c...

So what do you do for the last few days of college, when the exams are over? Have a ball, of course. You might not have much money to spend, but when did that ever stop you? These are your salad days, after all, the last before you go out into the big wide world and face what they all call reality. Best to make the most of it while you can. Right now, we’re chilling on the grass in front of the hall. There’s Jimmy and Max...

Many years ago, I was a woman teacher in Iran. The following story happened in the early 1990s. As any teacher or student has experienced, there is always some noise in the classroom. There is no way to achieve absolute silence, and I don't believe any attempt should be made to change that. Students need to talk, and sometimes talking helps them to understand better. I tried to keep them focused and busy in order to keep...

The actions of this story took place on Easter of 1988. I was attending The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. My oldest brother Tony, his wife and his one-year-old son, John, lived in Columbus and I had caught a ride with them to our parents’ home for the Holiday.  All of my siblings, their significant others and their children were going to be at my household to celebrate the festivity. My oldest brother, Tony, is...

My monochrome life. Shrill beeps are always the first sounds my ears hear, followed by an illogical frenzy to get ready to meet another shades-of-grey day. Toes painfully cramped in their black shoe cages pound the cold, grey concrete. A darker grey building towers over me reminding me of my smallness. Once inside, banker clones brush past me in their dark suits, cramming into every remaining crevice of the elevator. The...

I took up gardening somewhat recently. The first reason being, we get such glorious summers where I live on the East Coast, and I decided that I wanted to spend more time outside. Where I am, the summers are long, hot, and dry. So long, in fact, that we don't really get an autumn until it's closer to winter. It's the same with spring. Getting out in the garden seemed to be the easiest way for me to spend more time outside...

Anchor your life?  We have all had difficult situations to deal with in our lives. Our family and home are supposed to be the place we feel safest. But what if that’s the place that makes us feel uneasy and questions who we are.  Where do we learn and find the courage to hope and dream? How do find we find the faith to move on create a love-filled life? How do we build a solid foundation when we have a lot of doubt and in...

Many changes take place  She smiles with the secret of yesterday and The promise of tomorrow Had a good life Many tears and smiles A simple life To sit on the porch  Early morning with first light  That touches the mountain top Listening to the rain and  Gentle breeze That speaks of lazy days of love That last well into the darkness Time passes far to fast A new moment in time To give freely Without reason or thoughts To...

Hello? Hi? Ehhhugh, hum?Y'all? D'ye exist?I exist?Anyone? Anyone at all? But, no. Nobody did exist.But somebody must have.Existed, that is.Otherwise this wouldn't  exist. But what is existence without purpose? Is that just, sorta, being? Like a thing. Y'know, not really there, but not not there. An object, formless, but there, not really there, but uh, in time and space. I don't really get it, y'know.Anything.But isn't th...