“Do you believe some essence of your Dad can see you?” I asked this question of Tim when we were relaxing out of the rain in an Argo Tea shop downtown Chicago. Thinking of my own Dad, death, and after-life, my question came out of these thoughts. “And what is meant by the phrase […]
A memorial service for my Dad happened on Saturday, June 28 at the Church I grew up in, Blythfield Christian Reformed Church in Rockford, Michigan. There was a time for family to offer spoken memories of my Dad during the service. I spoke what I’ve printed here, and two of my nieces spoke of […]
My Dad died this morning at 11:30 a.m. My Mom was at his side. He lived a long life, he just turned 89 years old but the last few years he was not healthy and dementia was eroding his mind. Tim and I arrived at the facility where they live just 10 minutes after he […]
Yesterday, Tim and I made a presentation for a class at North Park Seminary, “Spiritual Issues in Chronic Pain and Disability.” We never really plan out these presentations, Tim shows slides of his work of Temma, he talks, I talk, and yesterday I read my post titled, “Oxford Temma.” I shared about my own developmental […]
This post is from 2011. This past week Terry Gross – host of NPR’s Fresh Air – interviewed Ian Brown in relation to his new book “The Boy in the Moon”. The book is about life with his disabled son. My husband Tim had heard that Terry Gross’ questions were problematic and asked me if […]
Temma and I together in Itasca, Illinois while her Papa, Tim, is in Oxford with the painting “The Oxford Temma” as a gift to the St. Luke Church Community there. The photo of Temma and I on Tim’s computer screen with “The Oxford Temma” painting in the background brings to me some embodiment of my […]
I recently finished reading the book, “Living With a Wild God: A Nonbeliever’s Search For the Truth About Everything” by Barbara Ehrenreich. It was a fascinating read for me, truly a wild ride for the woman steeped in belief in God to read the memoir of a woman steeped in nonbelief, science, and rationality. With […]
“Good morning, sweetie peetie,” I greet Temma each morning, my own eyes still half-shut when I paddle into her room. Her eyes are most often open as if she has been waiting for me. She startles a bit at the sound of my voice, her arms and feet lifting up and her eyes becoming even […]
The Saturday after Thanksgiving, Tim and I went to visit Tim’s Mom at the home where she lives in Bedford, Virginia and where she finds good care. It was a great, celebratory day, having just been to Tim’s sister’s wedding and reception. My other sister-in-law-and-spirit went with us to visit Mom. Amy lives near-by and […]
The epic story of Abraham being told by God to kill and sacrifice his son Isaac seems to be figuring prominently in my book project on Temma and I. Being taught that the story is about God testing Abraham’s faith, the story from the margins is of God ordained sacrifice of a child; presenting my […]
Writing From the Margins 