Veteran’s Day Tribute
If I had stopped to think, we would not have gone. But the opportunity that my children could participate in an historic occasion spurred me on. The Chicago Vietnam Veterans Welcome Home Parade was scheduled for June 13, 1986. Although I had never ridden the METRA commuter downtown, on that morning I stood at […]
Fact or Fiction
Mark Twain is credited with this piece of advice to author wannabees. “Write what you know”. What did I know at the turn of the millennium? After decades of teaching, the role of an educator to various categories of students was my field of knowledge. The question became: “How do I write about my experiences […]
Legacy Letter for Sharing
Thursday afternoons was my scheduled time as a volunteer to visit at the local nursing home. I was usually alone with Virginia, who was bedridden, for several hours. We started the time with structured activities: reading letters from her relatives, sharing a passage from the Bible, or Virginia listening to my dramatic interpretations of magazine […]
Healing Our Broken Places
As I stood with a group of college age Christmas carolers in front of a nursing home, I burst into shoulder-wracking sobs. Another student and I headed back to our dorm to heat hot chocolate while the rest went inside to sing to the residents. My reaction appeared extreme, but the noscomephobia, or fear of […]