It begins long before the tale of Coco's tail, way before my boyfriend introduced me to his own actual family. We start here. On 1st Street in Nampa, Idaho. In this old house. Once upon a time there was a skinny college boy who needed a place to stay during the summer. The boy had … Continue reading The End of Coco’s Tail
Friendship
The Death of Roy
My friend Roy died of cancer when I was 14. He was 16. There was a funeral at the United Methodist Church and all of us teens who were in the youth group with him sat together and cried in varying degrees, dealing with wretched emotions as our young years both allowed and forced us … Continue reading The Death of Roy
A Thousand Little Dots
Her name was Betty Ruth Flynt but I called her Barf. You can't buy good friends like that--ones who will lovingly call you, "Barf." I figured since I was not allowed to utter the middle name "Ruth," that "Barf" was the next best choice as her initials were just asking for it. Junior High. What … Continue reading A Thousand Little Dots
Francie’s Chicken Salad
She was a tiny little old white-haired lady from New Jersey whose energy defied her age despite her occasional smoking and addiction to daytime television. And she was my first best friend in Arkansas. The memory of how I came to meet Francie is murky but it feels like it was somewhere on the upstairs … Continue reading Francie’s Chicken Salad
The Purple Pin
This is an adaptation of a social media post from a couple of years ago that may or may not merit a replay. Today I wore this purple pin to church. Before yesterday I didn't know it existed. It belonged to a lady whose funeral I attended and her friends decided that a way to … Continue reading The Purple Pin
Beyond Lashley Lane 