I realize now, the guilt was baked inside the china. It was always about the damned china. My grandparents were “as poor as church mice” (their words) when they got married. My grandmother, motherless,...

My Dad, me, Dave and my stepmother at Dave's and my wedding in 2007. My father was my last living connection to my family of origin, until his passing in 2017. Together he and I death cleaned for my...

During the lockdown part of the pandemic, a lot of things happened simultaneously: - Dave and I started thinking seriously about death and dying. We had our wills updated. - Our bank branch closed, and...

High school friends and I visiting during college in my parent's house. The chair we are all resting on, Grandmother's painting on the wall and the piano all ended up with me. In my parent’s home,...

I consider myself part of Generation Jones. The Jonesers are a small subset of the baby boom - our dates run from 1954-1965, which puts our dates overlapping the official end of the Baby Boom and the...

In a worn envelope, a photo. One I’ve not seen before. It’s one of those mandatory holiday/birthday/everyone line up for a photo you all look so nice pictures. Three generations of strong women in my...

It’s been 4+ years since I’ve spoken to my estranged, conservative Christian stepmother. We tried for 3 years after my father died to get along for his sake, helping her pick a senior place to move to...

During the long drive in the van I found myself coming to some kind of reckoning. How hypocritical was it of me to have spent so much time and energy on the items that had belonged to previous generations,...

Until the day came that she had to learn to ask for help, anyway. I knew nothing about driving a transit van. I just knew it was more than big enough to fit all the furniture and boxes. In the month...

It never ceases to amaze me how many communication styles exist out there. Clear, straightforward. Sideways. To the point. Rambling. And on and on. I think of myself as a clear communicator in writing....