A List of Ways My Dying Dad Smoked His Last Cigarettes

posted in: Culture, Faith, Uncategorized | 0

As my dad died, I had violent fantasies about severely beating the next person I saw with a cigarette hanging out of his or her mouth. I told my husband I was going to kick them in the throat. He thought that was an uncharacteristically mean thing for me to contemplate. I couldn’t help it, though. My dream of pummeling smoking strangers was most likely a way I dealt with my anger toward my father and his precious cigarettes, which were responsible for his Stage IV lung cancer…read more

The Ministry of Mrs. Clean Jeans

posted in: Parenthood, Uncategorized | 0

I stalk denim and I know why.

In the early 1980s, nothing was more fashionable in my small town than Levis 501s paired with Chippewa boots and a powder jacket. My elementary school was overrun by kids with parents who thought it totally awesome to outfit growing children in expensive leather work boots and expensive jeans topped with expensive ski jackets. My parents didn’t. Perhaps they could have if my dad didn’t drink the clothing money…read more

Pink Champagne and the Bind

posted in: Faith | 0

A friend of a friend in high school had an alcoholic aunt who kept cases of pink champagne in her garage. Access was easy because he lived with her. If she noticed any missing, we never knew. Either she didn’t notice of she didn’t care because for a grey winter, pink champagne flowed freely. Effervescent and the color of a bunny’s nose, it didn’t seem like real alcohol. That’s why it was okay to drink at church… read more