Backstory   It seemed to be taking place all around me.  Kids moving back with their parents . . . mother carried off to a nursing home . . . a widow heading west . . . a bachelor heading east. . . a classmate moving to Ireland.  . . someone asking about moving in here.  […]

Backstory  Where did I first see a representation of old Florida?  Probably in a movie somewhere, because I was an adult before I ever set foot in that state.  And yet, decades later, when we were looking for a winter home in St Augustine, I had this vision of just what kind of street I […]

Backstory   My dad was from another era.  He ruled the house.  With three daughters, he won the arguments by shouting the loudest.  That would probably get you arrested today.  But not back when I grew up.  He was big and he seemed so confident.  As I grew up and began to mentally challenge some of […]

Backstory   It took a long time to find out the truth of this belief about my dad.  I could only see things from my perspective – that of a little girl who was hungry for her daddy’s attention, love and approval.  Why didn’t he see that and hear that?  Sometimes parents are too busy just […]

Backstory   Photos are used to memorialize big events in our lives.  We look at the image and conjure up the event and the people and the happenstance.  Hopefully it was a happy time that brings smiles to our lips.  But what happens to the memories when the photos are gone?  When there is no one […]

Backstory – Hoarding It was springtime, and I was getting the urge to change things.  I wanted to spruce up the place, make it more colorful, out with the old, in with the new.  When I looked around, I was horrified to realize what I saw.  I mentioned it to a neighbor.  She admitted to […]

Backstory – Only Then Understand Don’t you just love it when you tell one of your children how things will be – and then they are?  That’s what happened with this story.  My daughter wanted me to convey all my motherly knowledge.  She wanted it all at hand, the moment her baby was born.  I […]

Backstory – Mother’s Magic I had just hung up the phone after talking with my mom.  It had been a rather short conversation this time; she was busy and had to rush off.  I had called her, not for anything special.  I just wanted to hear her voice.  OK, let me tell the truth.  I […]

Backstory – Mother’s Day Gift Lilacs always remind me of Mother’s Day.  As a kid, I would gather bunches of the sweet-smelling flowers and bring them to her as one of my Mother’s Day gifts to her.  The wonderful fragrance of lilacs in bloom will always remind me of my mom, for that reason.  Seemed […]

Backstory – Sisters One of my sister friends had just shared good advice.  I so appreciated her new eyes on my issue.  It wasn’t the answer, but it gave me a whole new perspective to come up with my own solution.  Her support and involvement inspired this week’s story. Consider This Show – Sisters Click […]