We stood at the West Tisbury shuttle bus stop on a Saturday afternoon in Martha’s Vineyard. I’d been experiencing that island in Massachusetts for the first time, staying in a hostel for $27.00 a night—the only way I could afford that expensive place. I’d enjoyed the morning at the Farmer’s Market at the Grange Hall … Continue reading The Stranger on the Bus
travel
Not Like Me
I watched that ‘hunk of burnin’ love’ from across the crowd. It had been a fun day, riding my bike around Mackinac Island in northern Michigan and then happening upon the outside summer concert. I wasn’t content to just watch ‘Elvis,’ I wanted to get up close to him. As soon as he finished his … Continue reading Not Like Me
If I Live to be 100
It was a lazy Sunday afternoon on Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts. I was fifty-two and staying at my first hostel while on my solo journey that June. Since Sunday had always been a family day, I felt drawn to visit one of the sites on the island, Polly Hill Arboretum, that reminded me of a … Continue reading If I Live to be 100
My ADHD Made Me Do It
The patrolman handed me the dreaded paper and stepped back into his car with the flashing blue lights. How in the world can this be happening, again, I thought, my third ticket in eighteen months. What was wrong with a fifty-something-year-old woman, mother to adult sons, and responsible nurse-- in this trouble again? My mind raced … Continue reading My ADHD Made Me Do It
Enlarge My Territory
The day after I was fired from The Research Company, I packed my suitcase for our family vacation at Kiawah Island, South Carolina. I was in a state of shock, thinking that for the first time in my adult life, I had no job to return to. My husband, David came in and handed me … Continue reading Enlarge My Territory
Looking Back Looking Forward
I study the photograph from four years ago with me standing next to a tall red rock in the Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs. It was unusual for me to take my solo journey in April, but that trip was planned around the Pikes Peak Writers’ Conference. On that Monday afternoon, I … Continue reading Looking Back Looking Forward
Then Sings My Soul
I lost myself in our conversation, feeling it was more important to be present in that moment than to be on time for the service. When I finally pushed open the Iona chapel door, I heard the piano playing, the congregants singing a song that was familiar from another place. Tears splashed my eyes as … Continue reading Then Sings My Soul
Fall Tapestry
October is a month of fall festivals and breast cancer awareness. Yesterday, both came together when I attended the Big Foot Festival near my hometown of Sanford. I don’t know a lot about Big Foot, but I went to support my friend, Donna, who’d organized the event as a fund raiser for clean water efforts. … Continue reading Fall Tapestry
Searching for Mama
Today is Mama’s 94th birthday. We’ll gather at the nursing home and she’ll see that there’s something special going on: great-grandchildren bringing her balloons, tables covered with bright cloths and vases of flowers, birthday cake and family singing to her. Thinking about how little she understands now, I’m glad I went in search of her … Continue reading Searching for Mama
Interior Mansion
“This doesn’t look like the picture on the website,” I said to myself when I pulled into the hostel, my heart sinking. The nondescript, white frame house needed paint and renovation. What will it be like here, I wondered and thought of the next three days. From the exterior, this hostel was less impressive than … Continue reading Interior Mansion
Connie Rosser Riddle 