My family gets the kookiest ideas about love. They have the audacity to question my love for them just because I bark and nudge when they neglect to open the backyard door so I can go outside for a spell; they are slow to take me for a walk; or they refuse to give me … Continue reading Unconditional Love
Category: love
Choosing Life, Choosing Joy
When I was younger, I didn’t understand the proactive role we must play to find joy. Joy and happiness seemed like magic. Wonderful things could happen over which I didn’t have control. In elementary school I was stunned when my new sneakers didn’t propel me safely to first base. I remember looking at them in … Continue reading Choosing Life, Choosing Joy
Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
Conferences are notorious for being a lot of noise with a little bit of helpful information mixed in. I’ve always held that if you glean one or two useful nuggets, you’ve done well. Yet there are some areas of my life where I find myself more prone to believing that there is a right way … Continue reading Separating the Wheat from the Chaff
Small Moments
The language of love fascinates me and I have written about it before [Just Love, The Fur’s Flying in My Language of Love, Unconditional Love, A Much Loved Dog Has Many Names]. I think it’s because something that seems self-evident, universal, and easy, isn’t. The person who loves hearing soft words won’t necessarily feel loved by the one … Continue reading Small Moments
Oh, the Places You’ll Go! -or- How I Found Myself at a Big 10 Football Game
Dr. Seuss’ Oh, the Places You’ll Go! addresses the challenges in transitioning from one life stage to another. For better or worse, the book has become a somewhat clichéd gift to graduating students, with some critics arguing that it is creating false expectations that greatness awaits us all and that the path to success lies … Continue reading Oh, the Places You’ll Go! -or- How I Found Myself at a Big 10 Football Game
Unconditional Love
It’s me. I know; it must be me. Perhaps my breath is bad? Or maybe it’s my pants? Yes, my pants are not soft enough. How else can I explain what happened the other day? Curling up on the sofa to watch a movie, I found myself alone; hubby and the kids were not interested … Continue reading Unconditional Love
Pat the Bunny . . . and Pettigrew too
To touch is to give life.--Michelangelo “So you also pat bushes,” my friend said as we walked down the sidewalk. I paused, my hand betraying me as it hovered against the hedge edging the walkway. Although her words were inclusive, I felt like I had been caught; my unconscious action noted and commented upon. Because … Continue reading Pat the Bunny . . . and Pettigrew too
The Presence in the House
I spent the weekend with my nephew, an up-and-coming movie producer, whose latest piece deals with the effects of a sudden death; how that person’s presence can linger. (The End of Summer) But it’s not only ghosts that leave a mark. Pettigrew has a presence. When he’s not in the house, the air feels different. … Continue reading The Presence in the House
Support Animals
A sloth. Yes, a sloth is Pettigrew’s support animal. Surprisingly it took me a long time to realize this. First there was the recognition that he was not shredding, but cuddling with his toy sloth. Then I noticed that when he is feeling strong emotion, he tracks down his sloth and tosses him around in … Continue reading Support Animals
Just Love
“Just love,” I call out, throwing my voice ahead of me, as Pettigrew hurries us towards the woman in the neon yellow jacket standing in the middle of the street with her arms stretched wide. Sandy, the school crossing guard, keeps a pocketful of treats for the dogs that pass her intersection. A flash of … Continue reading Just Love
Ruth Polk 