Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Tag: friendship
Fly Like an Eagle
Friends can really queer your deal. You think you’re all competent and able and a friend comes along and starts feeling sorry for you for whatever reason, obvious or not, and you become a six-year old looking for a big hand to hold crossing… Continue Reading “Fly Like an Eagle”
Lunch at Costco
I went to Costco with my friend, Karen. She goes there for the chicken salad and because all of the food is beautiful. There are also samples of curious and new things, like crackers made entirely of Parmesan cheese. Adding to the Costco magic… Continue Reading “Lunch at Costco”
Finery
I have a friend who, in the face of recurring cancer, throws a Kentucky Derby party. And she won’t let you in the door unless you’re wearing a hat. And she expects you to bring a dish which you will describe to the other… Continue Reading “Finery”
Pool Girls
Yesterday, at our weekly swim date at the local county-run pool, my friend announced that she’d forgotten her swimming suit. She rifled through her backpack a second and third time, took out all the assorted bottles of shampoo, conditioner, and lotion, found her goggles… Continue Reading “Pool Girls”
My Time as a Funeral Emcee
I was once the emcee of a funeral. I had no qualifications for this role. I’m not a minister or a funeral director or even a practiced mourner. But when my longtime friend asked me to be the emcee of her mother’s funeral, I… Continue Reading “My Time as a Funeral Emcee”
Book Mark
When my friends’ son died by suicide, I bought them a book. I can remember standing in a bookstore near the San Diego harbor, pulling book after book off the shelf, looking for just the right one that would speak to my friends’ terrible… Continue Reading “Book Mark”
She Was….A Hope Dealer
A year ago, a friend of mine died. We’d been colleagues for a long time. But, for much of that time, we were very wary of each other. I thought she was too sincere for deal-making and she thought I was a conniver. She… Continue Reading “She Was….A Hope Dealer”
Finery
I have a friend who, in the face of recurring cancer, throws a Kentucky Derby party. And she won’t let you in the door unless you’re wearing a hat. And she expects you to bring a dish which you will describe to the other… Continue Reading “Finery”
So Many Candles
I had a friend who was a priest when he was young. He almost never talked about having been a priest. When I met him, he had a wife and three sons. He didn’t seem the least bit holy, not like some people who… Continue Reading “So Many Candles”
Race Day
I still have the shirt, bright pink with Danskin 2007 Women’s Triathlon on the front and a slew of company logos on the back. My friend, Karen, has probably tossed hers, that’s how she is, totally unsentimental, not into mementos or false glory. After… Continue Reading “Race Day”
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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