Dear Eric: My sister and brother-in-law live a couple of hours away. My wife and I get along with them but are not close, and we try to make an effort to see them when we are nearby (a couple times a year). We have a pre-school-age child, while they do not have kids. They are kind and generous to our child when they see him and bring him gifts from their travels when they do see him.
Lying abed in Grandpa and Grandma Morrell’s home in Hartman, the house where I was born, and hearing Grandma, Mama, and the aunts in the kitchen chitter-chattering. Oh, the secrets I might learn if I could only lie still and keep my ears open!
I just finished a two week visit with the three grands. (And two with the three ‘aint bad.)
This little vignette in the life of the writer occurred ten years ago. It was such an unlikely event that I recorded it at the time. Extracted it from the old files to share today. Memories.
Dear Eric: My son will soon be turning 13, as will my niece. They were born a week apart. I usually host a family pool party for my son’s birthday, but my brother and his wife do not arrange a family party for their daughter. (They also have a nice yard with a pool.).
Dear Eric: As kids we went to the cemeteries with our parents and grandparents every year before Memorial Day. There are three cemeteries with family members, and I remember all of us working on each plot every year – planting flowers, digging, weeding then going out for lunch. All this takes preparation then daily/weekly care.
Dear Eric: My sister suffers from alcoholism and drug addiction from way back. I am the exact opposite of her in almost every way – rarely drink, never do drugs. She perceives me to be a “goody-two-shoes,” and I was given a nickname of “miss maturity” by her and other siblings. It was not a positive nickname.
The month of June has been home to many historical events over the years. Here’s a look at some that helped to shape the world in June 1925.
Near the crest of Eremos sitting just outside a shallow cave in the rock Jason watched the spectacle below him unfold. The movement had progressed along the shore of Genneseret, a small cluster of perhaps a dozen people in the lead and a host, a vast cloud of people following behind.