Death | Mixed Metaphors

Dec 19 2016

Posts

The Toilet Zone: First Flush

“You will find that it is necessary to let things go; simply for the reason that they are heavy.” — Anonymous

It’s time to say good-bye to 2016. As a recovering person, the Serenity Prayer has been playing an endless loop in my mind; it’s my leitmotif for 2016. It’s reminded me —again and again — that there are many things happening in my world — and the larger world we share — that are outside of my control. In an effort to address them I’ve created this new Mixed Metaphors, Oh My! series, The Toilet Zone. Continue reading →

Tagged AA, Acceptance, Activism, Change, Courage, Death, Karma, Letting Go, Mother, Politics, Protest, Serenity Prayer, Social Change, The Personal Is Political, Trump, Wisdom

Jun 18 2016

1 Comment

Posts

A Grateful Daughter: A Father’s Day Tribute

“My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me.” — Jim Valvano

As my friends, family, work colleagues, and regular readers are already aware, I recently finished moving. I now have only one set of keys, and my material life resides in a single location for the exception of a dozen totes that a friend generously volunteered to store in her basement. Moving seemed like a never-ending process and I’m grateful it’s over and I can stop writing and talking about it (I will, I promise). I can now direct my energy to other things, which brings me to Father’s Day and the tragedy in Orlando at Pulse LGBTQ nightclub. You might ask, “How are these two subjects related?” Continue reading →

Tagged Coming Out, Death, Family, Father's Day, Fathers, Friends, Home, LGBTQ, Loss, Love, Memoir, Orlando, Pulse

May 08 2016

Posts

Without Her: A Mother’s Day Lament

“The death of a mother is the first sorrow wept without her.” — Author unknown

On this Mother’s Day I want to express my gratitude. I’m lucky. My eyes first met my mother’s over 66 years ago on the day I was born. She was the first person I ever experienced in life, whose flesh touched mine, her smell familiar, whose breasts nourished me, and whose arms held me close to her heart. I’m sure I was comforted by the sound of her soft voice and steady heartbeat that I heard while still in her womb. Every year on my birthday I felt intimately close to her. We often shared tears, tears of gratitude and joy. This year was the last one we’ll ever share together. Mom died 10 days after my birthday. This is my first Mother’s Day without her. Continue reading →

Tagged Brother, Death, Family, Fathers, Grief, Holidays, Home, Legacy, Loss, Love, Memoir, Mother's Day, Mothers, Movies, Racine, Relationships, Sisters, Stories

Jan 31 2016

4 Comments

Posts

The Loud Family Loses a Loved One

We Say Goodbye to Our Matriarch

First, a little background: In 1973 American TV audiences were introduced to a groundbreaking 12-part documentary series on PBS entitled An American Family featuring the Louds, an upper middle class family in Santa Barbara, California. This was considered the first reality TV series. Keeping with its irreverent tradition of satirizing American culture, Saturday Night Live in season four, episode six, created its own Loud family, starring Jane Curtin as Mrs. Loud, Bill Murray as Mr. Loud and their daughters, Gilda Radner and guest host, Carrie Fisher with supporting characters played by John Belushi, Dan Ayckroyd and Garrett Morris. Continue reading →

Tagged Brother, Death, Ethel Mae Lenzke, Family, Father, Friends, Funeral, Grandmother, Grieving, Home, Loss, Love, Matriarch, Mother, Racine, Sisters, Stories, The Loud Family, Wife

Nov 15 2015

3 Comments

Posts

The Power of Circles

“I get by with a little help from my friends.” — Lyrics by John Lennon and Paul McCartney

Last weekend I attended a recovery enrichment workshop at Edgewood College presented by Fred Holmquist of Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation’s Dan Anderson Renewal Center. The experience was a powerful reminder of the role recovery circles have played in my life. Over the years I’ve sat in many circles in outpatient treatment, aftercare, 12-step meetings, and retreats. Yet this is simply one sphere of my life where circles of friends and peers have empowered me. Continue reading →

Tagged 12-Steps, AA, Activism, Anti-War Movement, Campfires, Civil Rights, Consciousness-Raising, Death, Family, Feminism, Friends, Lesbian, Power of Circles, Recovery, Second Wave of Feminism

Sep 20 2015

1 Comment

Posts

Pick a Metaphor: Life-Planning

The Three Boxes of Life
Whack-a-Mole
Juggling: When All the Balls Are in the Air

As readers of my blog already know, I like to mix metaphors. Today I introduce the first installment of another Mixed Metaphors, Oh My! series entitled, Pick a Metaphor. In this series I will choose a topic and look at it based on a number of metaphors. What I have found in my own life is that sometimes the metaphor I select to describe an issue I’m facing sets the tone of how I will think and feel about it. Continue reading →

Tagged Death, Family, Friends, Home, LGBTQ, Life-Planning, Madison, Metaphors, Racine, Relationships, Retirement, Third Act, Work, Working Class

Jun 06 2015

1 Comment

Posts

The Tale of Two Quilts

“What goes around comes around.” — The basic definition of how karma, the law of cause and effect, works.

“And in the end, the love you make is equal to the love you take.” — Lyrics from the Beatles song, The End, composed by Paul McCartney and credited to Lennon-McCartney. It was the last song recorded collectively by all four Beatles from the album, Abbey Road.

This is a tale of two quilts, two long-term relationships, two sisters and two lessons about karma. Continue reading →

Tagged AA, Activism, Catholic, Death, Eighties, Existentialism, Family, Feminism, Higher Power, Karma, Loss, Love, Marriage, Memoir, Quilts, Racine, Recovery, Relationships, Seventies, Sisters, Sixties

Jan 31 2015

2 Comments

Posts

Memories, Milestones & Musings

“Memory …is the diary that we all carry about with us.” — Oscar Wilde

Today is the last day of the first month of the year. I’ve been spending a lot of time looking back at last year and looking ahead to the new year. That journey has taken detours to the past and ventured into dreams of the future. It’s no surprise this month is named for the Roman God, Janus. As I recently noted in my essay, Legacy of a Life:

“In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally thought that the month of January is named for Janus.” (Source: Wikipedia) Continue reading →

Tagged Alzheimer's, Birthdays, Death, Family, Fathers, Holidays, Home, Legacy, Memoir, Memories, Memory Loss, Milestones, Mother, Musings, Racine

Dec 28 2014

Posts

The Legacy of a Life

“Let your very existence be your song, your poem, your story.
Let your very identity be your book.
Let the way people say your name sound like the sweetest melody.” ― Charlotte Eriksson*

The end of the year draws close. For some of us it’s a time to take inventory, to review the past year and look ahead to the new one. For others it’s marked a passage, an ending, hopefully to be followed by a new beginning. From Wikipedia:

“In ancient Roman religion and myth, Janus is the god of beginnings and transitions, and thereby of gates, doors, doorways, passages and endings. He is usually depicted as having two faces, since he looks to the future and to the past. It is conventionally thought that the month of January is named for Janus.” Continue reading →

Tagged Activism, Death, Legacy, Lesbian, LGBTQ, Loss, Madison, Stories, Wisconsin

Dec 14 2014

Posts

The Third Act of Life

“It’s okay that you’re old; it means you’re not dead.” ― My niece, Gemma, at the age of 4.

Some say, “Out of the mouths of babes comes wisdom.” This was certainly true the day seven years ago when I buckled my then four-year-old niece, Gemma, into her car seat. She examined my face closely as I leaned in to safely strap her in the backseat of my car. Continue reading →

Tagged Aging, Aging in Place, Death, Friends, Loss, Love, Medicare, Personal Narratives, Relationships, Retirement, Seasons, Social Security, Third Act

Mixed Metaphors

Mixed Metaphors, Oh My! – A place where words, this writer, and readers play together.

Tag Archives: Death

A Grateful Daughter: A Father’s Day Tribute

Without Her: A Mother’s Day Lament

The Loud Family Loses a Loved One

The Power of Circles

Pick a Metaphor: Life-Planning

The Tale of Two Quilts

Memories, Milestones & Musings

The Legacy of a Life