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I get by with a little help from Gary Larson
I need to thank Jen for inspiring one of my better moves at the beginning of quarantine. Her birthday was approaching, and I planned to assemble a 90s-themed gift to celebrate her and the genesis of our friendship. A Lisa Frank notebook, Bubble Tape, MadLibs, Cool Ranch Corn Nuts–it all came together quite nicely. But the best addition? A couple of The Far Side comic books. I ordered a few for myself too, anticipating the need for some extra laughs. I am so glad I did. If you’ve not come to know and love Gary Larson’s The Far Side, please do yourself a favor and check it out now. The…
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Handwritten
“The beauty and nobility, the august mission and destiny, of human handwriting.” – George Bernard Shaw, Pygmalion Have you ever stumbled upon a handwritten something from someone you love who has died? A shopping list, a scrap once used as a bookmark, an envelope? Perhaps it had little to no meaning when written. But once found, doesn’t it feel like an immortalized piece of them? My mother has the most perfect cursive handwriting I’ve ever seen–so perfect that forging it is nigh unto impossible. It is loopy and lovely, and so distinctive. When Mom writes, she takes her time about it. It’s beautiful. I have a mountain of handwritten things…
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Sagebrush
Sometimes, we talk about our funerals. I want the congregation to sing “Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing.” Dad prefers “How Great Thou Art,” and Mom’s choice is “I Believe in Christ.” Mom wants sagebrush to be part of the floral spray on her coffin. When she was a young adult, she visited a friend in Washington, D.C. They traveled to New York City and she found herself powerful homesick. She’d never seen roll-up security gates on storefronts, and the amount of people and concrete was overwhelming. On the drive back to Utah, she rejoiced when she could see wide open high mountain desert vistas and smell the sharp, clean…