How do I even attempt to put into words what John has meant to me. Since we were small he’s been right there when I needed him. As we got older and my mother’s alcoholism spiraled out of control, he and I were hard at work every night, in the mistaken belief that if we…
Today, December 5, marks my twins’ 54th birthday, and today also marks the 55th anniversary of the death of their older brother Charlie. Baby Charlie lived only five days before dying of birth trauma, and a year later, on that same day of the month, our son and daughter were born. Good times, right? Tomorrow, December 6,…
I couldn’t believe my eyes when I opened this week’s edition of the Valencia County News-Bulletin.
I’m so saddened to report that my beloved brother John is ill and is receiving hospice care. As kids, John and I were “team-find-and-destroy-all-the-wine-bottles” when my Mom’s alcoholism was at its worst, and to lose him will be losing a huge piece of who I am. I love him dearly, and am devastated by what’s…
Well, I didn’t win the top prize, but I was flabbergasted to be listed as a finalist in the NM Book Co-op’s 2022 NM-AZ Awards!!! I know the competition was stiff–there are a lot of great memoirists out there–but I was pleased beyond belief that the reviews recognized Sometimes I Cry. http://nmbookcoop.com/BookAwards/styled/index.html
I’m sorting through things and cleaning out/throwing out things I no longer need, and came across a bunch of old photos, including this one of my grandmother and me. It must have been Easter Sunday when I was 10 or 11 years old. She was “Grandmother” in the book, but she looks pretty benevolent here….
I’ve been asked about my relationship with my mother after that tumultuous childhood, and if I hated her for the childhood I’d had. No. Just no! My mother was one of the warmest kindest people I know. Her alcoholism was, as we now recognize, a sickness and not a character flaw. Sadly, she never saw…