“How’s Keri today? Want to meet me in New York December 23rd?”
My mom loved old movies and mad-capped schemes. So, her text was not necessarily a surprise. I was only taken aback because she asked me and not one of her boisterous gal-pals. To play in this scene, I’d have to fly during the holiday season from my home in Germany.
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If you’ve ever lost someone, you know how it is to be always waiting for them to do that one annoying thing they always did.
You may have their ashes in a box on your nightstand. Maybe you even held their hand as they died. Hell, you were the one…
As I lounged on the display model of my dream sofa a couple years ago, I thought of my dog’s velociraptor nails on that supple saddle leather. …
It is ironic the year I am applying for permanent residency in Germany is also the year I have most deeply wanted to go back to America. Part of this longing is the pandemic, I simply miss my family, but it is also political. Over the past four years, people…
I have this bad habit of internalizing stress. Last year I got shingles after dislocating my shoulder. I had acute abdominal pain I swore was cancer. (All the tests came back fine). When I’ve had a lot of stress, my immune system takes a hit, and I end up with…
,Ich breche zusammen’ is one of the first German phrases to confuse the hell out of me. “Break” was clear, but to add the word “together” made no sense. How can one “break together?” Of course, that was my B1 level self literally translating, which as we all know, should…
How to make a house into a home
I am 47 and am lucky to have two dynamic grandmas. One is a social butterfly; the other prefers to stay at home (even before COVID came along). Grandma O tends her garden and Grandma L tends her menagerie. Both are active; both are widows; and most importantly, both know…
If you were to formulate an opinion of me based on social media, you would see a strong, positive-thinking, widowed mom, kicking the world’s ass and taking names. …
I have this weird anxiety when something comes in the mail. …
The wild ride of online dating came to a halt on my date with the Lumberjack. Instead of rolling gently into the station, this ride ended with an unexpected bump into the barricade. A little dazed, I unlatched my safety harness and made my way on shaky legs to the…
