Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: family
Mama Robin and the Open Mouths
Today, the robin babies’ mouths were open even wider than yesterday when this photo was taken. They’re so big, you’d think they could fly to the beach and pick up French fries for lunch. But no, they’re waiting for Mama who is, as we… Continue Reading “Mama Robin and the Open Mouths”
Safely at Home and Abroad
We had to pry our safe open with a butter knife. To make sure the cat doesn’t somehow manage to push the lid shut, I put the weighted arm band from our fall prevention class over the clasp. This is what passes for security… Continue Reading “Safely at Home and Abroad”
California Time
I went to California. I stayed long enough to have my eleven-year-old grandsons come to regard me as part of the furniture. I liked this an awful lot – that each of them at varying times would drape one leg over mine while we… Continue Reading “California Time”
Ten Little Thoughts
If you finally give up the running shoes that you paid a hundred dollars for and worn for a year even though they kill your feet, the guy at Goodwill will smile and the Mistake Police won’t arrest you. The benefit of having a… Continue Reading “Ten Little Thoughts”
Heritage
I put a yellow rose in my grandmother’s casket. I asked the funeral director to let me into the room early so I could hide the rose between her arm and the silk folds of the casket lining. Her grave is just a few… Continue Reading “Heritage”
The White Binder
My brother had our parents’ stuff laid out like a well-organized garage sale with no price tags. Relatives were picking up and putting down my mother’s costume jewelry which was arranged in rows on the basement ping pong table. I found a locket that… Continue Reading “The White Binder”
Some Things Take a Long Time to Learn
The key to being able to truly feel gratitude is to want less and accept more. I say this, of course, after already having lived a life that has been abundant with many things but knowing that it’s possible and common to have great… Continue Reading “Some Things Take a Long Time to Learn”
Dreamlike
I pushed the button for the 14th floor, the tower suite. I got off the elevator and looked down at my feet. I was barefoot. This seemed crazy to me although I often go barefoot, not to meetings, though, never before had I been… Continue Reading “Dreamlike”
Walk Away
We had a red cocker spaniel named Rusty. We had this dog for a long time, from before I was born until I was nine or ten. And then she disappeared. My dad said she just walked off. She was very old, he said,… Continue Reading “Walk Away”
Prepare a Place for Me
There was only one reason why my father would be calling me. My mother must be dead. He explained how it happened, how just last week he had given up taking care of her at home, that for the third time, she’d gone limp… Continue Reading “Prepare a Place for Me”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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