Re-sharing this story on Kay’s 62nd birthday… It is 6:45 AM and the sun is slowly rising over the hospital’s still silent campus. Entering the conference room for morning report, I wonder as I always do, what type of day is in store. But the moment my eyes fall upon my fellow Psych Tech and friend,Continue reading “The Day the Music Died”
Tag Archives: Loss
The Summer Wind
He answered after the third ring. It was not his voice I remember, but the strains of Frank Sinatra crooning in the background. “The summer wind came blowin’ inFrom across the seaIt lingered there to touch your hairAnd walk with me” And when he did at last speak, his voice was direct, suspicious, no-nonsense. “Yes,Continue reading “The Summer Wind”
Songs my Father Sang
One of my most treasured memories of my father was when he would sing to us. His serenades were not a constant, but occurred spontaneously, generally while he was driving. The destinations of those day trips I cannot recall. What I do remember is the feelings his singing evoked; safety, comfort, simple happiness, like steppingContinue reading “Songs my Father Sang”
Love Letter to Ireland – the Gift of My Mother
Happy St.Patrick’s Day☘️ Re-sharing. Dear Ireland, It is not the distinct and lonesome scent of burning turf from distant cottages. Nor your fields of brilliant green. It is not the timeless waterfalls that cascade in hidden woodland. Nor your winding rivers whose beauty inspire poets. It is not your majestic cliffs that stand like loyalContinue reading “Love Letter to Ireland – the Gift of My Mother”
Screwdriver Parties
Pulling into my driveway late one afternoon, my eyes fell upon a dark sedan sitting idly. Unable to recognize a face through the tinted windows and noting a New Jersey plate, a state from which I knew no one, a slight feeling of unease ensued. And then as if in slow motion, a window wentContinue reading “Screwdriver Parties”
Ode to a Pheasant
I cannot say for certain when I first made his acquaintance or tell you the exact day he stole my heart. We had just moved to a small town in Connecticut from New York City following the 9/11 tragedy. Our new home’s family room sported an enormous glass window which overlooked the back yard, aContinue reading “Ode to a Pheasant”
The Lonely Sweater
Glancing in the window of a recently closed children’s consignment shop, I spotted this tiny orange sweater, hanging forlornly in the now abandoned store front. This sad sight left me to ponder why this one vibrant item adorned in grinning teddy bears, remained. Perhaps a testament to a dream that was not to be orContinue reading “The Lonely Sweater”
Barbara Marshall
For Leslie “Mom, there’s a lady in the bushes,” said my six year old son nonchalantly. He sat fixated in front of the television, mesmerized by the dance moves of his very favorite group “The Wiggles,” icons of the ten-and-under set. The charismatic foursome clad in identical black pants and vividly colored tee shirts, wereContinue reading “Barbara Marshall”
Lovely Lily
It is a Friday, late afternoon, and I have just gotten off the school bus. Walking up the front path of my Long Island home, I hear laughter from inside, amid the whirr of a blender. Following the sound of merriment to the kitchen, I spot my mother and my Aunt Lily sitting together atContinue reading “Lovely Lily”
To David on his 60th Birthday
I hold a photograph in my hand. A picture from long ago. Though frayed and fading, it is one that tells a story. A melancholy tale of family, friendship, love and loss. And the unrelenting passage of time. I study the image taken with my father’s old Polaroid camera. Fifty years have come and gone,Continue reading “To David on his 60th Birthday”
Shangri-La 