Jack wouldn’t tell anyone about this. Not because he didn’t love the tradition, but because he suspected others would mock him. He appreciated the effort his father made, getting up early to make a special breakfast, and his insistence on taking photos. Sure it was sappy, but after losing Mom a few years back, Jack knew Dad wanted to commemorate big life events as she had. And he’d patiently indulged his father over the years, from photos with Santa to Easter…
It’s been a wild week in the mountains. Filled with medical appointments, storms, head colds, and a broken dishwasher. Sometimes, life is messy, and the best you can do may not feel like quite enough. The instinct to fight against the tide leads to burnout and succumbing to the inevitable — but in a much grumpier frame of mind. None of us are immune; however, I’m learning to lean into the need for rest while my body battles the unexpected…
It was definitely a weed. Sally frowned. She didn’t recognize what kind, though. It didn’t resemble nightshade, goosegrass, or ragwort. Best to call in reinforcements, she fished her phone out of her apron pocket. Snapped a photo and sent it to the family chat. One of them was bound to identify the plant. It didn’t take long for the messages to roll in. Grandma, why are you growing weed? Yes, but what kind? WEED! They really were most unhelpful, and…
Theo scrubbed the remaining dregs of sleep from his face and stared at the coffee table. It took a few minutes for his memory to filter through the alcohol-induced fog. The snapshots of his on again off again relationship lay scattered before him. He swept them into a pile and reached for his lighter. He shouldn’t have printed them. Left the memories in digital form where they were easier to ignore. Lesson learned. The fire grew brighter as it ate the…