Standing Tall | by Linda Brendle

Charles Attaway died October 22 and was buried October 25. I wrote this post the following week and submitted it to women’s site. I haven’t heard back from them, and tomorrow is his wife’s birthday, so Penny, this one’s for you.

Wishing You a Messy New Year | by Linda Brendle

The Christmas Eve service was beautiful last night. Lights were twinkling, carols were playing, candles were burning, people were singing and smiling and laughing and hugging and wishing each other a Merry Christmas. Excited children crowded to the front when the pastor told the children’s story. The service ended with Communion and the traditional singing of “Silent Night” as candlelight passed from person to person until the whole sanctuary was alight with it. But something was missing.

Mattias Reads “The Reindeer Who Had Fear to Fly”

Chapter 2 of the family story book was written, illustrated, and read by 8-year-old Mattias. He is so creative and serious. He reminds me of Alistair Cooke introducing Masterpiece Theater.

Baby Zoe reads “Olivia Helps With Christmas” (Video)

For the last several years, my son and his family have tried to do something creative for Christmas. Two years ago they recorded a CD of Christmas music starring Mattias who was 6 years old at the time with Christian and Amy as backup. Last year they made a movie starring the entire family. This year they decided on a four-chapter family storybook. The first chapter is my 2-year-old granddaughter reading “Olivia helps With Christmas.” It’s only fair to warn you that this is so cute it will make your teeth hurt.

Beginnings and Endings | by Linda Brendle

Elmer Helen Dean Fay

Tomorrow is Mom and Dad’s 71^st anniversary. In honor of the occasion, I’m posting a couple of excerpts from some of my previous writings. The first selection is from my book, A Long and Winding Road, RVing with Mom and Dad, and talks about the beginning of their love affair. The second is from a blog post titled Daddy’s Legacy that I posted on July 20 and tells about their last days together.

Confessions of a Book Junkie | by Linda Brendle

I love books. There weren’t a lot of them around the house when I was little, but I loved the ones I had. Dr. Dan the Bandage Man, The Little Red Hen, and The Little Engine That Could were my favorites. We had a set of Book of Knowledge Encyclopedias, and while I wasn’t interested in the boring factual stuff, I discovered there were fables and fairy tales scattered among the pages. I spent many afternoons searching for them and reading them over and over.

Where Did She Go? | by Linda Brendle

All of us, especially those of us who are in the second half of a century of life, have had the experience of misplacing our keys or wallet temporarily. We think Now where did that go, and sometimes we worry. We think it might be the sign of something sinister, but according to www.alzheimersdisease.com, it’s a normal part of aging. A person with Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is likely to be more creative in misplacing things, like putting an iron in the freezer or a wristwatch in the sugar bowl. The first time I was aware of Mom’s creative storage practices was when I asked to use her hair spray.

I Can Still Spell ‘World’ Backward | by Linda Brendle

A few days ago, David was struggling to remember an elusive name or movie title (I forget which), and he voiced a typical complaint of those of us in the Baby Boomer generation.

“I can’t remember anything anymore. My memory is getting terrible.”

“Can you spell ‘world’ backward,” I said.

Parting Is Such Sweet Sorrow | by Linda Brendle

A year ago today, Mom and Dad left the home we had shared in Florida for the past five years. They were on their way to their new home at Southridge Village in Conway, Arkansas. Following is an entry from my journal for that day.

 December 10, 2010

Mom and Dad left this morning. They rode away in the back seat of their beloved 1997 Buick Skylark. It’s showing its age.

The Least of These

“And the King will say, ‘I tell you the truth, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me!’”                                      Matthew 25:40

Following is a quote from my book. In case you’re new here, A Long and Winding Road, RVing with Mom and Dad, is the story of a 7-week RV trip we took with my parents in 2007. It’s also the story of caregiving and all that entails.

You’ll notice an inordinate amount of ink is focused on bathing in this tale. That’s because The Kids’ deteriorating hygiene has become the source of [many unpleasant odors].