Earlier in my life I strived to be a good daughter…a good wife…a good mother…a good friend…strived to be good at everything…but the problem was….. in my pursuit to be seen by others as “good”…. I was giving away all my good stuff! For a long time I believed I could do it all…work, make … More Learning to Fly
Her heart was filled with peace and joy when small birds spoke to her in beautiful voices, danced for her on tiny feet, lifted their wings and flew away. She thought about the life of a leaf on a tree…being warmed by the sun, cooled by the moon, fed by the earth where thirsty roots … More Find Your Song and Sing It!
Mementoes A few years ago as I was going through drawers searching for something lost, I found a number of small mementoes I’d tucked away, to be enjoyed only on the rare occasion when they were found as I was looking for something else. That day I decided to bring my mementoes into the light … More Mementoes
Some days I feel like I’m underwater, swimming through a murky sea this COVID pandemic has plunged our whole world into; and when I rise to the surface, I find myself seeking the elusive comfort of a “new normal”. Every day I grieve a little for some of the things I’ve lost, and then I … More One of the things I miss most during these COVID days!
Went to bed last night on a low note, didn’t sleep well, and woke up this morning feeling sad and blue, tears streaming down my cheeks. I asked myself, “Why am I feeling this way?? “ My answer: I miss my family, I miss the beauty and comfort of my own home, I miss meeting … More Finding Peace
Lost Love & Found Treasure Part One Every family has stories of lost love and found treasure. Here’s one of mine. When I was a little girl growing up in our humble home on Chester Street my two brothers and I spent every possible moment outdoors during the long days of Summer, rain or shine. … More My Sister’s Story Lost Love & Found Treasure
After a quiet moment, that must have seemed like an hour to Candi, the operator responded, “I don’t find a Harry Hugar in Altoona, but there’s a Louis Hugar. Would you like that number?” Marti answered, “Yes, please.” She hung up and dialed the number and on the third ring a woman answered, “Hello.” Marti … More “The Phone Call” Part Three of Lost Love & Found Treasure
While sitting outside in our backyard on Chester Street and gazing at the moon one summer evening, my mother told me that my father had another daughter named Candi, who lived somewhere out West. I was seven years old when Mom told me and we never spoke of Candi again until 40 years later when … More Lost Love & Found Treasure Part Two
Every family has stories of lost and found treasure. Here’s one of mine. When I was a little girl growing up in our humble home on Chester Street my two brothers and I spent every possible moment outdoors during the long days of Summer, rain or shine. If the sun was shining, you might have … More Lost & Found Treasure Part One
“Why is this happening to me? I never asked for this!” I was four years and six months old when I started half-day kindergarten at Robert Browning School #73. On my first day Mom walked with me the four blocks from our house to the school, introduced me to my teacher, knelt down to look … More My First Really Scary “First”
My earliest memory is one of sweet discovery associated with my Dad. My family lived in a very small duplex on Houston Street near Brookside Park in Indianapolis. I don’t remember much about the inside or the outside of the house, but I’ve seen photos of our front yard and the two sets of long, … More Earliest Memory of My Dad
Have you heard the saying that a friend is someone who knows your song and sings it back to you when you’ve forgotten it? I call that friend a song keeper. Jim Conkle was a song writer, a singer of songs, and he was a song keeper. The first time I met Jim was in … More Remembrance of a Dear Friend
For most of my childhood and well into my adulthood I often wished fervently that some other woman had given birth to me. My mother, Maxine, was a very pretty woman whose behavior at times was unpredictable, argumentative, self-righteous, often inappropriate, and oddly weird, but she was just as often childlike in the most beautiful … More Bitter Memories & Sweet Summer Cherries
Like many married people my former husband and I had been happy…until we weren’t. A good marriage is a partnership, and at times most healthy partnerships require a little compromise from both partners. Over the years I had chosen to compromise more than a little, and to suppress vital parts of myself for what I … More Sometimes we get what we need! A memoir about finding my way back to Self
During the three years I lived and worked at Crestwood Village North my son’s family lived only a couple of minutes away. My son, his wife, and their three children were always there for me during my transition from being a long-time married woman to a single woman. If I needed anything they were immediately … More Another Cooper Story: “I Feel Like a Man”
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