Personal Writings

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More Sobering Thoughts Should Our Liquor Stores Run Dry

I know I just wrote some thoughts today about our food supply – and then, I picked one of my Spotify playlists to put on and try to get some artwork done. For some reason I selected my “Melancholy” playlist created several years ago and one of my favorite Harry Chapin songs came on, “A Better Place To Be” and…well…here I am writing again. It is easy to poeticize the isolated alcoholic in songs such as Harry Chapin’s “A Better Place To...

Growing Old With Oneself

Back in 2007 I remember driving back to Newark through the Lancaster-ish areas, down Route 896 from I can’t recall where exactly….I was coming back on an early Saturday evening from a long caricature gig for a company picnic somewhere out in Amish country.  As I was driving home I noticed a huge garden with rows of beautiful sunflowers and I turned around to park and take photos for painting references.As I approached the flowers – which were somewhat near...

When Your Friends Go Through Deep Loss and Tragedy

When our friends go through any type of deep loss or tragedy, whether a divorce, death, or any other type of situation or difficulty, it is our nature to want their pain to simply stop. It is our nature to even feel uncomfortable with whatever they need in the moment, whether to retell yet another time some part of their story and what they’ve been through, or whatever it is they need in the moment. Divorce is a death. And...

Reflections on the Finalization of My Second Divorce

I came home earlier today from a funeral at church for a dear lady. About the time I walked in the door I learned that my former husband had received final divorce decree via email today and had expressed his feelings on Facebook, in part perhaps to share a song with me, as part of his expression indicated. So I feel I want to express my sadness as well. Most know that my former husband and I are very different...

Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future…But Not in That Order

Last night we took a drive to Santa Claus Lane, a well-known extensive Christmas light display in Red Lion, Delaware that has drawn thousands of people from far and wide each Christmas for over twenty-five years.  The display is an extravant gift to the community of time, resources and “Christmas magic” – from a Mr. Faucher – whom I once read is an electrician.  I can’t recall the exact number of hundreds of thousands, most likely millions, of lights…but I recall from...