Hoarding Memories

It irks me when my two very accomplished and astute daughters tell me I have too much stuff. Granted, I live in a small house and space is an issue but a large percentage of the things I have are mementos. It’s a new year and like many others, I feel an urgency to...

Not Maya

I’ve owned hundreds of pets throughout my life, most of them being dogs and cats. From the first dog I can remember in early childhood, a Border Collie named Princess to my most recent two, a Great Pyrenees and Chihuahua, I have loved each one of them. Yet, there are...

When a Heart Stops

F was one of the elderly people I came to know as a caregiver, a job I took on a few years ago to supplement my income. She was my third client and up until her passing at midnight this morning, the one I worked with the longest. When we caregivers first began with F,...

Afscheid (Farewell) Maastricht

Sunday, June 18, 2023 Maastricht, Netherlands When the Flixbus turned onto the highway toward Maastricht, the little town I’d visited a few days before, I felt a weight drop off me. I inwardly sighed feeling like I was in a good place. I remember having this same...

Bye, Bye Brussels

Saturday, June 17, 2023 Let’s just say I can’t get out of this town, this country fast enough. It’s 2 ½ hours before my bus leaves. I’ve been at the station since 11 am, four hours before I needed to be there. I booked a 3:45 pm bus because of the price $19.95, the...