While Memorial Day is for remembering those veterans we’ve lost, hold close to you the ones who are still here. — I wasn’t born yet when my family moved in next to you. My older sister got your heart first. You still had dark hair. You often told me how pleased you were when my family moved in. You never had children of your own. You never married. …

Fractured Oak by Dannie Boyd — The premise of this novel–that a woman dies and becomes a sentient tree–is intriguing enough, but that the tree is also a witness to a murder and actually tries to help in the resulting investigation is truly original. Two stories are laid out and told with sympathy, utilizing two distinct…

LeeAnn Heartney is 17 and is as obsessed with leaving home as her mom is obsessed with the Watergate Hearings. What could go wrong? — Three for a Girl by Kevin Brennan Three for a Girl by Kevin Brennan is one of those character-driven stories that gets into my head and stays and stays and stays. The story is told from the point-of-view of LeeAnn Heartney as she recalls the summer of 1973 when she was 17 and the Watergate hearings dominated…

Retirement means a lot of things to me. Above all else, it means freedom. — Thanks to Nancy Peckenham’s excellent article on what being retired means, or doesn’t mean, I’m thinking long and hard about what the word means to me. What Do You Mean You’re Retired? Isn’t it time we called it by a new name?medium.com In a nutshell, I feel like I’m finally living, finally in a position to do what I want when I want. Unfortunately, my body…

Was I presumptuous to think an altered appearance is anti-aging? — [Note: I have no affiliation with any of the external (that is, non-Medium) links in this essay.] Not too long ago I got miffed that Nicole Kidman was flashing finely sculpted arms on a magazine cover. …

That might be the question but there’s more afoot. — January turned out to be a real bust when it came to writing. I had started the Smokelong Fitness Group in earnest but quickly lost my will to write. I submitted two pieces to my group for feedback, but I’m not sure if either is worth working on further. …

A case study of ageism and sexism in the doctor’s office — Background I’ve been tolerating chronic neck pain for about a year now; sometimes suffering, but mostly tolerating it because my pain threshold is relatively high. I’ve done all the things: chiropractor, physical therapy, x-ray, primary physician, MRI, orthopedic surgeon, cortisone shot, and pain medications (over-the-counter and prescription).

Facing a new year while grieving isn’t easy, but turning away from Life would hurt more than help. — Happy New Year, everyone, and here we all are once again. It’s been several weeks since I last published on Medium. As many of you already know, the last six months of 2022 were rather hellish for me and my family. Both of my sisters died unexpectedly as well as…

My sister thought she was invincible. — In less than six months, I’ve lost both of my sisters. On July 1, 2022, my sister Shirley passed. And now, my sister Charlotte. Charlotte passed away on November 25, 2022. In the last few weeks, she went from being full of energy and living independently to needing oxygen 24/7…