Stories from the Steps
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The Dementia Talks #20
THE DEMENTIA TALKS #20, WALKS & TALKS:Yesterday, on my normal Monday visit to my mom, another piece of her was lost as another matador arrived to fight the bull. Those questions I never asked, one because my dad made me… Continue reading
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Vol. 3, Chronicle 15
SAND & DAD, A MEMORIAL DAY STORY: I got this vial of sand from one of the many wonderful educators that I am privileged to work alongside. She got the sand from a beach in France once codenamed Omaha. My… Continue reading
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Year 1 ✔️, Year 2 ?
YEAR 1 ✔️, YEAR 2 ?: So Miss Julie left for her pool’s first summer Saturday this morning. She departed with my traditional farewell of, “see ya’ Labor Day” & decompression arrived as I took my seat on the porch.… Continue reading
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The Dementia Talks #19
Alzheimer’s, dementia, or any other alias this mind robber uses is difficult to navigate & I often question my choice to expose my family’s fight. One of my son’s football coach’s best summed it up with his catchphrase, “…that was… Continue reading
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Vol. 3, Chronicle 13: Car Line
MORNING CAR LINE, A RANDOM TUESDAY:“…Don’t let yourself go,‘Cause everybody cries, Everybody hurts sometimes…”“Everybody Hurts” ~~R.E.M.~~ Powerful lyrics I think about sometimes as I participate in one of the unanticipated joys of my job, morning car line. Every morning,… Continue reading
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NOW
VOLUME 3, CHRONICLE 12, NOW: There is a scarcity of words. They are heavy, there’s a gravity as I pull them out of my soul trying to say something for Mother’s Day. Earlier this week, I mentioned a friend that… Continue reading
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VOLUME 3, CHRONICLE 11, ARPEGGIO, THE BIRTHDAY EDITION: Music’s broken chord, the arpeggio, occurs when notes normally played simultaneously are played individually. Anyone with someone suffering a physical or mental ailment knows the difficulty of dealing with brokenness of what… Continue reading
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Vol. 3, Chronicle 10
VOLUME 3, CHRONICLE 10: 4 YEARS IN SUNDOWN, NOW & THEN. As I say good morning to another night, I’m struggling with do I need to say something or do I have something to say? John Steinbeck said, “I write… Continue reading
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Vol. 3, Chronicle 9
AN APRIL 19TH 251 YEARS IN THE MAKING: The memory arm of this machine informs me that five years ago on this day, I said goodbye to Mel, a Navy veteran I called friend at my town’s National Cemetery. The… Continue reading
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Vol 3. Chronicle 8, Redux
A PERSONAL NOTE on changes & what you need to know from two years ago in what was known as Volume 1, Chronicle 14. CHANGES: 1)The day count is now 4,463, the years are at 13 & counting, & the… Continue reading









