Legacy
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Ordinary Life, Noticed | What We Inherit Without Paperwork
I have inherited things that will never appear in a will. I have inherited phrases, habits, stories, and ways of doing or thinking about things. I have probably inherited a few behaviors I would happily return to the original owner. That’s inheritance too. Today’s word is Legacy, and usually when we talk about legacy, we… Continue reading
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Ordinary Life, Noticed | The Gifts No One Can Inherit from a Will
Today is my son Tyler’s birthday. And this is one of those stories where I could write something simple. Happy birthday to my firstborn. It would be true. It just wouldn’t be the whole truth. The whole truth is more complicated. Tyler and I have a complicated relationship. There is love there. There is history… Continue reading
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Ordinary Life, Noticed | What Every Life Leaves Behind
The yard is full of evidence that something was here. Feathers. Leaves. Acorns. Tracks in soft ground. An occasional suspiciously relocated piece of bird food that probably has Pinecone’s name written all over it. Most of it is small. Nothing announces: Something important happened here. But something did. A bird rested. A squirrel ate. A… Continue reading
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The Family That Was, and the Family That Became
A personal reflection on remembrance, belonging, and the histories we carry October 15, 1977. That is the day my dad died. I was seven years old, my sister Barb was ten, almost eleven, and my mom hadn’t even turned thirty-two. My dad was forty-three. This year will mark forty-nine years since his death, and I… Continue reading