My Words: Sisters stick together even during final days
In the early hours of that morning, I listened to her labored breathing as she slept restlessly by my side. She was my little sister -- such a part of me. As I lay there in the darkness, tears fell as...
View ArticleMy Words: Backyard held bounty of garden memories
Anyone who ever knew my Daddy knew of his love for gardening. As far back as I can remember, we always had a big garden in our backyard.
View ArticleMy Words: Retirement means a bag for each of my activities
I knew once I retired in May 2011 that things would change -- my daily schedule, attire and activities. But I had no idea that I would become a "bag lady!"
View ArticleMy Words: Med helps Mom recover, daughter aims to give back
For me, The Regional Medical Center at Memphis didn't mean much more than a name in a news story. Of course, living here I knew about The Med, but I never truly understood the scope of what they do to...
View ArticleMy Words: Grandmother will fix it -- just give her a Band-Aid
I realize it's the day when mothers should be showered with all the love, attention and Pajama Jeans they can stand, but it's also appropriate to acknowledge this long-known truth: Mothers give life;...
View ArticleMy Words: Host's death conjures up 'Bandstand' memories
Although I have lived in Memphis for most of my adult life, I grew up in Philadelphia. As a teenager, I would race home from school, turn on the TV and watch Dick Clark's "American Bandstand."
View ArticleMy Words: Late-in-life romances hold lessons for all lovers
My parents retired to an out-of-state faith-based community in 1996. The step-tiered facility includes bungalows, assisted living apartments and a nursing wing. I became a "campus daughter," someone...
View ArticleMy Words: Admitting I'm old doesn't mean I'm giving up
Today is different from any other day in my life. I am going to admit that my reflection in the mirror, every morning when I brush my teeth, is not my mother. It is ME !
View ArticleMy Words: So where do babies come from? Well, it's complicated
Our friends and neighbors the Smiths were having a baby. I was excited about this and asked Ettu, my nurse, where they were going to get this new baby. She replied, "Just ask your mother. ... " I asked...
View ArticleMy Words: Believe in better life to overcome challenges
I was born in Farmington, Mo., a small city southwest of St. Louis. My mother, who was not married, had given birth to my sister 11 months earlier.
View ArticleMy Words: Drugstore, soda fountain were centers of Ripley life
Odds are that if you grew up in Ripley, Tenn., during the decades of the '50s and '60s, you probably spent a fair share of your leisure time hanging out in Cheek's drugstore on the north side of the...
View ArticleMy Words: Finding great corn bread a tall order
Folks, we Americans have a crisis on our hands!
View ArticleMy Words: Even in bad times Walls, Miss., woman feels hand of God
On May 24, I boarded an airplane headed eventually for Bucharest, Romania, to work with a children's ministry, Mia's Children, which is operated out of Germantown and Bucharest. I would be there for...
View ArticleMy Words: Animal encounters on her home turf not all unpleasant
From my second-floor windows at work, I recently watched a mockingbird take out a blackbird in midair. It was a dogfight worthy of Tom Cruise in "Top Gun." The next day when I came home from errands I...
View ArticleMy Words: Silver strands in the bristles poignant reminder of mom
Deciding about her belongings was not difficult at first. For the longest time we did not deal with it. Denial was a safe place to hover. It was only her short-term memory after all. So what if she...
View ArticleMy Words: Sending oldest child off to college bittersweet for mom
My oldest child is starting college, and my husband and I will drive him 16 hours to school to help him get settled in his dorm. Saying goodbye will be one of the hardest things I've ever done.
View ArticleMy Words: The family's favorite aunt, thoughts of Hazel bring happy memories
Aunt Hazel was the youngest of 11, and maybe being the baby in a big family explained her being happy all the time. At least to me, she always seemed happy, but that might have just been my child's...
View ArticleMy Words: Adopted puppy mill breeder dog has problems but is lovable pet
I drove over the bridge to the rescue shelter. A transport of breeder dogs, just released from puppy mills, had arrived. I thought I knew what to expect. I was wrong.
View ArticleMy Words: Dad's polio gives life lesson in responsibility for young girl
I was 10 years old. It was 1945. We lived in a small town in Tennessee. It was a wonderful place to grow up. Children were free to roam and play all over town. Life was good. It was fun. It was safe....
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