With his first badge under his belt, I looked for other things I could help him do. I came across planting a tree. I had watched a potted mimosa and crepe myrtle tree that lounged on our back patio for several months. They needed planting. …
Continue reading →I looked at the text: “Can you call me when you get a second.” It came from my father’s only sister. We hadn’t corresponded much over the years and had done so even less since my father had died. When I called, she told me she had a few items that belonged to my grandmother. She thought I might want them. Of course, I did. I love old things, especially if they belonged to a family member. …
Continue reading →Mom’s a sucker for a piano. She’s been playing since she was a small child. She dreamed of becoming a concert pianist—which she probably could have accomplished—but she married my dad and became a preacher’s wife instead. But she never lost her love for tickling the ivories—and showing off a little at the same time. …
Continue reading →This is the point in the story that forces me to hesitate. If I imagine myself in the widow’s place, and I’ve just been told to gather empty jars from everyone, how many would I return with? …
Continue reading →Not only did my grandmother can and freeze her abundance of vegetables, but she also froze any leftover food she had. …
Continue reading →Of Mom and Dad’s three sons, somehow, I received most of the family heirlooms. As family members aged, they either offered me these items or I asked for them. Since I’m a nostalgic kind of guy, I grabbed every piece of furniture and nick knack I could. …
Continue reading →I was thrilled and immediately placed it on my left ring finger, laughing as I flashed it around as if it was a whole carat of sparkles. …
Continue reading →One year before, the app showed my wife and I had joined our daughter and her two boys for a trip to Granddad’s Apples in Hendersonville, NC—a trip we made annually, either with them or someone else. This particular year, things had gotten busy. Had the app not reminded me, we may have forgotten to go. …
Continue reading →Firsts are important. On this day, two of my cousins brought a mahogany china cabinet to our home. The reason it was a first was not that it’s the first one I’ve ever owned but because it was the first piece of furniture my mom ever bought with her own money. She purchased it to hold china she planned to purchase as a part of setting up housekeeping with my dad. …
Continue reading →I am familiar with hiding. Apart from the normal game of hide-n-seek, my cousin and I often invented other hiding games. We invented imaginary giants to hide from in my grandfather’s barns. If we chose to play cowboys and Indians, one group would hide. …
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