My Grandmother Tammy is preparing to die. Her cancer was diagnosed as incurable, but she tried nearly three rounds of chemo anyway. The cancer has now eaten away at her ovaries, her bowels, her liver and is moving up to her breasts and lungs. Her belly is swollen with fluid. She’s getting confused about where [...]
Archive for the ‘These Ones I Love’ Category
15 Jul
The Best Kind of a Good Cry
I once told a friend that I believed laughter to be the deepest form of crying. Not in a depressing way, mind you. No, I just meant that: there are pains that are best cried out with a laugh, that the body has the wisdom to know the difference, and that it taps into this [...]
5 Jun
Yes, I Am a Preacher’s Kid.
I’m a preacher’s kid. It’s only lately that I’ve realized just how much that identity has affected me. It’s affected me in good ways and bad ways. In many, many sad ways. It’s written on every facet of my life. The thing that makes me most upset about being a preacher’s kid-”PK” as we’re often [...]
21 Jan
It Makes Me Happy
Friday. I traveled to Park Slope to meet a friend I hadn’t seen in months. We stared at each other with happy awkwardness. Relaxed. Hugged twice. I noticed her new highlights. Gaped at her beautiful apartment. Wondered if her roommate was single. We ate burritos the size of my feet–that would be big–watched a DVD [...]
4 Jan
In Loving Memory of a Friend
When I was sixteen, an exquisite furry creature sat sleeping in my lap. I chose to name him: Shado. Purposely without the “w”. To make it distinct. Because he was. Our family dog Banjo died when he was thirteen and I was sixteen. It hit us hard. Me especially. After many months, our family knew [...]
12 Jun
Siblings
I’d like ta punch you in the arm.Pull at your hair swap dating storiesmastermind nasty tricks involving super glue and your best pants jump out behind the washer and scare you half to deathput gum in your earlet you tag alongtell you to “go away”laugh at you for getting the worst bedroomyell at you for [...]
27 May
Rachel and Cameron
There is a part of my past that most don’t know. Since it’s always Mom, Dad, and I; friends and acquaintances assume that I’m an only child. I introduce myself as an only child. I tell myself that I’m an only child. But the truth is–I’m not. I’m actually–an eldest child. When I was three, [...]
