For one very special saint....

Sometimes people die too soon.  It is a mystery why it happens - not the actual cause of death, but why it happens to them.  They leave a hole in the universe, and especially in our lives, that seems never to be filled.  Their loss, their absence, cannot be made right.  They are, in a word, irreplaceable.  You learn to live a different way, because you are missing something once vital to your existence.

The morning after the night before...

There is an awkward moment between waking and sleeping that comes to everyone eventually.  Anyone over the age of 23 knows the scenario - where it's too early to get up, but too late to fall asleep again.  Where you fight the reality that another day is about to begin, comforted in the thought that you can stave it off for a few more precious moments while you lay in the delicious quiet of a cozy bed.

Every breath you take...

Most people take their good health for granted.  In any ordinary day, you wake up, you go to work, have your coffee or tea or soda to kick off your day, eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and engage in whatever activities you feel like; one way or another you get through your day without giving a second thought to the challenges you have given your body, or what it has to go through before you give it a chance to rest again that night.  It is natural that you would take it for granted - after all, for most people, most of the time, this is how it works.

But there are plenty of people for whom this is not the norm.  Of course, there are the extraordinary examples - those with terminal illnesses or severe chronic disabilities, those obvious people whose life is controlled by a medical diagnosis which drives their entire existence.  But there is a whole other world of people out there, as well, people who have, for reasons they may or may not want to talk about, a daily struggle with their body.

Small town life...

Very few people in this country live in small towns.  For the most part, Americans are city dwellers, and they tolerate the aggravations in order to embrace the opportunities offered.  According to the US Census, about 80% of us live in a metropolitan area, leaving vast open spaces for the other 20% who embrace a different lifestyle altogether.

A Grateful Wife

I rarely speak publicly about the man I am married to.  He is a very private person, and he doesn't like me talking about him in public, especially on social media, which is his right, and I respect that.  But today I feel like telling the world about the shy, quiet guy who brought joy into my world, because he deserves some credit for how he changed my life.