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Writes of Passage, by Lynda Peer

The weight of saying goodbye

One of our dogs crossed the rainbow bridge this week. Sophie, our little Chiweenie, has been slowly failing for a while, so it wasn’t unexpected. That doesn’t mean that it was easy. By accident or design, I have become Mother Reaper; the person in our family who oversees our dogs’ final ...

An uncurated collection

“Eye of newt and toe of frog, Wool of bat and tongue of dog, Adder’s fork and blind-worm’s sting, Lizard’s leg and owlet’s wing.” OK, so maybe I wasn’t one of Macbeth’s witches, but I felt like one as I studied the display of herbal teas. While I may sip on lemonade and iced ...

Lost the battle, won the game

As young parents, we suffered from the illusion of control. We knew with absolute certainty what paths our children would take, what sports they would play, what their personalities would be. Lord, we were foolish. But we knew ... we knew our children would love whole grains and vegetables, our ...

Eye on the prize

When flipping back through the album of childhood memories, sometimes a seemingly meaningless mental photograph gains focus. With sudden clarity, your brain has an “Ah ha” moment recognizing how a small event significantly shaped your person. Second grade looked promising: We would ...

Emptying the nest

One meal plan swipe card deactivated. Two parking violations. Three RA interventions to manually unlock her dorm room door. The first weeks of college are over. Our youngest is adjusting in fits and starts. Bill and I are, too. We are currently in our “let’s keep busy and avoid being ...

Hatless and hapless

As parents, it is easy to identify childhood traits that continue into adulthood. My oldest still tests for “the swirl factor” when trying on dresses. My youngest is still more inclined to listen to a conversation rather than join in. When it comes to us, we sometimes forget these strings ...