Writer
In the dream, I knew the day would end with an active shooter. I knew that I was entering the building and would soon hear a man enter and stalk the building for people hiding and afraid for their lives. I knew that my job was for him to find me. I didn’t know how... Continue Reading →
In the middle of the night (in the aftermidnight, one might say) when I’m sleeping, I’m often awakened by words and phrases. The Night, in a basket full of dreams, delivers these sounds that wake me, and say, “Here, if you’ll take them, they are yours.” Some choices I have at that moment include: get... Continue Reading →
There's a longer story, but I'll skip to the good part. What I have is benign. What we'll be is watchful. Onward. I have a rocket-fueled feeling. The projects that nudge me most sit more concisely before me. There's so much momentum. An up-leveling is happening. Here's what Autumn has in store, project-wise: Acting: On... Continue Reading →
The breast MRI revealed two “suspicious masses” - one in each breast. My doctor ordered an ultra sound biopsy at the hospital. Next week I can pick up all of my test results on a CD and deliver them to the women’s imaging center. Then on Sept. 9, I have the biopsy. But Sunday morning... Continue Reading →
As the Class of 89's 30-year high school reunion approaches, I’ve been thinking of the kids we went to school with. My Facebook feed is a flood of pictures and memories. Some pictures make me laugh, some cause confusion, some bring – most bring – all of the insecurity back. That knot in the stomach.... Continue Reading →
For decades, your family home provided the backdrop for your life’s memories. Every room in the house echoes with laughter and tears. The process of packing up decades can overwhelm a seller, and the emotions can be intense. Plus selling a family home can have more people involved in the process than the typical transaction.... Continue Reading →
Spring Break 1994, Elsa and I went camping. This was our last spring break as students, since we were both completing our master's degrees in education that year. I had already started working as a long-term substitute teacher in the school district where Elsa and I had met and become friends in the late '80s.... Continue Reading →
Some holidays are so much like all the other holidays that they run together with the other ones in a big holiday soup. It's difficult to distinguish one from the next. This late-20th-century selfie was not from one of those holidays. I'm posing here with my brother, Tracy. This was the Thanksgiving that my half-sister,... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love a Santa Selfie? I remember explaining to this particular Santa what I wanted to do because the term selfie didn't exist yet. "Can I take a picture of us together, but, you know the kind where someone holds the camera out like this, and the picture is just two big faces?"... Continue Reading →
If you haven’t peeked into Main Street Pickers at 408 N. Main Street in Duncanville, you should. Nick Nichols, has a created a space full of treasures, ranging from antiques to mid-century-modern furniture to quirky pieces you won’t find anywhere else. He also features some local artists such as Tomas Artiga and Gene Gregory. After Nick retired... Continue Reading →
We packed your bag today. I told you the stories of when I went to where you are going now. The deep, dark woods of life. I told you about the night I got cold and hungry and found a bears' house to sleep. About the time your uncle and I left breadcrumbs to the... Continue Reading →
“I may yet be worthy of the name of woman, in the purist and noblest sense. Yes, I will be if resolution and perseverance can accomplish anything.” Alice Marshall Finch, May 1866 This is a line from my great-great grandmother’s journal. She was 18 or 19 when she wrote this and living near Richmond, Virginia.... Continue Reading →
I spent a little time browsing through the journal I kept during the month I had an apartment in Galway. The first week, I was solo; the second week, my friend Janne and I toured about; the last two weeks, our husbands joined us. Flipping through I found plenty of bulleted lists of what I did.... Continue Reading →
There was a broken girl Who met a broken boy They believed they were unbroken Together They did things that break Then there were broken children Another broken boy Another broken girl All together They did things that break *This piece is unfinished. What happens next? Dawn's books: https://amzn.to/2NZqYc1
At first, he seemed strange Gazing hard at nothing But we couldn’t see what he saw Didn’t know what he was hearing What’s wrong with you, boy? What’s going on in that head of yours? Why you looking like you seen a ghost? Go along. Get out of here. “The demons,” he cried. “I see... Continue Reading →
I spent a little time browsing through the journal I kept during the month I had an apartment in Galway. The first week, I was solo; the second week, my friend Janne and I toured about; the last two weeks, our husbands joined us. Flipping through I found plenty of bulleted lists of what I did.... Continue Reading →
C. Dawn McCallum 