she-nan-igans

There is a broken branch in the tree in my front yard. I estimate it to be 3-4 feet in length.  It has long since been severed from the trunk. I don’t know what event caused it to break. It was probably a storm that popped up, winds blowing, rain beating down. One end of […]

I’ve never been accused of being a pet person. When he came to live with us, I was the least enthused, there’s no question. I do know that he ended up being the sweetest, gentlest dog we ever could have had around our little boys. He could not handle the sound of a broom sweeping […]

Pat Ellison was my high school band director. She was known far and wide for her standard of conduct and musicianship. She instilled in all of her students the belief that we competed against no one but ourselves. Comparison was truly the thief of joy, and good music was a privilege to be a part […]

We’d been outside playing for over an hour when Uncle Johnny’s beat-up pickup rumbled into the driveway. Immediately abandoning what we were doing, we yelled “Uncle’s Johnny’s here!” and ran over to greet him as he got out of the truck. “Hey kids! How’re y’all doing?” he asked us, giving us hugs and grin. He […]

It was nothing much to look at. When folks found themselves that far down the winding backroad they were much more concerned with finding the highway back to civilization than noticing the ramshackle building. The wooden structure boasted faded spots of paint that barely hung on to the dilapidated boards. The sides leaned just slightly […]

One step at a time, one foot in front of the other, she made her way. Her chest heaved with exertion as she moved. With her left arm she moved low hanging branches out of the way. Her right arm held her sword, once shiny and sparkling now covered in blood and grime. Her muscles […]

We met you in a time of great difficulty. Somehow I think many people probably met you in times of difficulty. Yours was a job that could lead you to people during celebratory joy but also times of great mourning. The first thing I noticed about you was the kindness that seemed to emanate from […]

The talking had finally ceased and he was ready at last to go to sleep. I knew this time it was for real. He had sweetly put his arm across my body, as if to hold me there in place. This was always the last thing he did right before he fell asleep. It was […]

The ground rushed up towards me in a long fast glide before I zoomed up skyward again. The cool night air blew past my face, catching my hair and flinging it all around. On the upswing I could see the deep navy-blue sky peppered with a sea of brilliant sparkling stars. The smell of autumn […]

The gravel crunched beneath his boots as he walked. His footfalls sounded at a slow and steady pace along the side of the old highway. The timeworn brown looked more of a mottled gray in color, stained from the years of hard working and hard living.  His legs were long and lanky, covered in denim […]