I was 15 years old when I gave birth to my first child, a son. He was born in 1989, and there was a phenomenon that was happening to teenage girls in the late 80s. I had known 2-3 girls who were pregnant right along with me. I realized that the numbers were far greater … Continue reading Confession of an Ex-Teenage Mom
Note: This essay was written in 2010 and centers on an event that brings forth different personas from who I am as a person. The Mother: October 28th, 2002—two days before the 29th birthday and 36 weeks 4 more to go to preserve the body growing within my own. Was it enough to make sure … Continue reading The Accidental Personas
Author's note: This is an excerpt from Chapter Three of "A Reason For Being" and this excerpt centers on my Great Aunt Esther (my grandmother's eldest sister). I remember when I first met Lola Esther (as how I called her), I was quite young. After I met her that first time, all I saw of … Continue reading The Great Aunt/Grandmother (excerpt from “A Reason For Being”): Lola Esther
I finally decided to watch the movie "A Collateral Beauty" which starred a cast of talented, and amazing actors/actresses (Kate Winslet, Keira Knightley, Helen Mirren--c'mon!). Not to worry--I won't spoil the movie for you. I have my own version of understanding exactly what a "Collateral Beauty" means. When I think of the word "collateral," I … Continue reading The Collateral Beauty
I remember the first time I saw snow. It was in Aschaffenburg, Germany and it was December. Snow was a rare unfamiliar thing. Its white speck of nothing comes down and becomes a white speck of everything; covering the ground and all those who stood outside to watch as quiet whiteness gently lands on … Continue reading What One Remembers in Her 30s.
Nowhere. Somewhere begins nowhere. It is nowhere that we find ourselves asking where to go next? Where to go from here? Our lives depend on where we are at the exact moment in time and it is where we define ourselves. My nowhere is here. At a pinnacle in my life that I find often … Continue reading Beginning.
We've driven the highway from Fairbanks to Anchorage numerous times throughout the years. The trips were often for soccer games, football games, wrestling tournaments, etc. The drive has become a ritual. But, as the years continue on, and the boys have grown and moved to college, we drive to Anchorage for some down time … Continue reading On the Road… again.
Salvador looked through his door and winked at me as I sat there in front of my desk. I turned my head away to avoid the distraction, and decided to look out my window. It was a good day to be outside. Instead, there I sat across the hallway from Salvador attempting to … Continue reading Dali and Me.
Jackie is my check and balance, and she is also my Storytexter. What I mean by this centers on the idea of memory, and how such memories are different for each person. When we were growing up, the stories my Grandmother told us evolved throughout time. In fact, they evolved each night when my grandmother told us these stories. Jackie reminded me that when my grandmother wanted to imply a moral code, she would embed such morality into her storytelling.
The Echo Muse 