Colorado – Robert Taylor Jr.

Robert Taylor Jr. - ??

The fortunate children who are in a position to observe their parents beginning at the time when their memories are first “memories”, until the time that they understand that their parents aren’t without sin may wish that someday they too will have a life like those who are raising them.

And then we discover that our parents aren’t just the kindest beings who feed us and read us bedtime stories and soothe us during thunderstorms.

We form visions of who our spouse will be – what she will look like, how we will interact – what we will “do to each other’.

We have girlfriends and experiment with them, pushing boundaries, learning how far we can go – what works, what doesn’t.

Our innocence is lost – and we never knew we had it.

Best Quality Glass Company, New York - Sharon Sheehe Stark

Sharon Sheehe Stark - ??

I’ve looked into my cellar and I have seen an intruder. Yes, just as in this story, the porthole into the cellar is just a sliver of mirror reflecting back an image of myself that I find distorted and almost unrecognizable – a vision of another person...covered in coal dust – cowering in a corner, shamed, bound by sin.

But I’m trying hard, and I wrestle with this intruder everyday until one day, hopefully I will defeat him completely.

The ability to recognize this intruder is a step, and knowing him and gaining knowledge of him will allow me to develop a plan towards his eventual defeat.

“In the most important questions of your life, you are always alone. No one other than you can understand your true history, your life story, as it develops. The essence of true life is your attitude, during the different stages of your life, toward your spiritual self, and your ability to follow that voice living inside you.”

June 2. Wise Thoughts for Every Day - Leo Tolstoy

Reunion- Julie Schumacher

Julie Schumacher – December 2, 1958

This short story was Schumacher’s first published story, and it was so strong, it was chosen by two editors for this anthology – and as trippy things go, it is the first of two stories in this collection with this title.

It really is a fine piece of work. It has a depth within the sentences that give the story so much more than what you first encounter.

The final paragraph is especially stirring if your relationship to your mother is similar to the narrator’s.

My mother is going through a particularly interesting part of her life now. She retired from teaching 2^nd grade last year after 30 years of faithful service. She now spends about 20 hours a day taking care of my step-father who is very old and suffering from his age.

Now, those 20 hours aren’t spent at his side...but when you have an elderly man who calls out to you for no reason but to know that you are there...you are pretty much by his side most of the time. She works to keep the house orderly and the gardens watered. It’s difficult because as she will admit, her mind is distracted by a million things a minute.

She has help from care providers and we do what we can, when we can.

We took her out this past Saturday for a little shopping trip and lunch. Actually, she took us out – I drove. She bought Mirela a ton of clothes as well as a Glider and ottoman for the baby’s room.

She found the time in her life and money to do this for us...even in her place in this world now.

She’s a good, no great mom.

Victrola - Wright Morris

Wright Morris - January 6, 1910 - April 25, 1998

I don’t care much for dogs. I grew up with a series of dogs but was never really attached to any of them. They were just – there.

A dog on a leash. A burden or a pleasure?

I’ve recently come to the realization that the relationship I have with my father is similar to that of this story’s main character’s relationship with his dog.

Perhaps this was not Morris’ intent – to use a man’s relation to his dog to allow the reader to reflect on a relationship with a human – but, this is how it came across to me.

You see, I am the human, and my father is the dog.

My father is not a burden like a dog but my relationship to him and my personal view of him is just like Morris creates between “The man” and “The dog”(dog’s name is Victrola).

I feel that I won’t fully appreciate the relationship, if it can even be called a relationship that we have until he is gone.

I’m still working through things with him and his Alzheimer’s won’t make it any easier.

It’s tough, and going to get tougher.