Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “General Articles”
This fall, I discovered a new place to walk and reflect. Petals in the Pines in Canterbury is a little gem. I was won over as soon as I parked in the parking lot, as there were little signs that read “Be careful of the garden when backing up”. Under this warning was another note that read, “Please check your car for our cat”. …
The battered box. The box says JC Higgins Ice Skates. I can only assume at one point these skates were a Christmas gift to my mom long ago. In my lifetime this old box, repaired numerous times with tape represents much more than winter days skating at the park. This old box is the home of “Nana’s Manger”. The handmade manger, made by my …
The Tulip The Tulip symbolizes deep or perfect love. There is no love that rivals the love a mother has for her children. The petals of the tulip are delicate to the touch and fragile to the touch, much like a mother’s heart when they watch their child struggle and grow. A heart that can break at any moment, not from disappointment, but from …
I was driving And I saw a man. Not just any man, but a man who looked like my friend Carl. He had the right shades, right hair, and the right Carhart jacket. I wanted to pull my car over and run up and hug him. Instead, I pulled over on the side of the road and cried. I cried so hard, for I wished …
Cheryl, I had the honor of photographing your sweet Mariana today. At first, I felt guilty and melancholic for I would get to do what was taken from you. For I would hold her in my arms and gaze upon her face. Pictures were wrapped up and we were getting ready to leave. Mariana, who had stayed awake throughout, was sleeping peacefully. My man …
6 Degrees of Separation is the idea that any one person on the planet is connected to another by 6 or fewer social connections. A couple of days ago, we met with a childhood friend of David’s and we were asked how we first met. Telling people we met at a funeral is technically the right answer, it isn’t the right one. How we …
“Are you ok”? I may tell you, yes, but inside I am screaming in agony. I am trying to get through a day without letting on to the world the pain I feel. Life, plans, daily routine, have come to a screeching halt. I may be going about the motions of work, conversation, daily needs but I am not ok. I am trying to …
My chiropractor is starting a brain injury clinic and asked me to share my story with others. She sent me the following questions: How would you describe yourself? Are you a ____? (ex: mom, retire, businesswoman, etc) How do you refer to yourself having a previous concussion? “Marilee Curran is a writer with a fighting spirit. One who tries to balance her life through …
The only guarantee in life is that eventually, you will die. Recently I was told that someone I love very much was upset that I have not gotten the vaccine. My heart was broken to confirm that people who have known me my whole life, are afraid to be near me. It’s deeper than that, for my children are staying away as well. I …
The 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month I could think of no better place to honor our Veterans and the memory of my grandfather who passed away 48 years ago today. He was an Army Veteran of WWII. This morning I re-read the letters my great aunt had preserved and my cousin passed on to me, that he wrote while …
For the past 20 years, a photo has sat on my desk at work This photo is not spectacular, or remarkable. It is a photo taken by a 10-year-old boy on the ferry in NY heading out to Ellis Island. It was shot with a disposable camera, it is fading, but it is a memory embedded in my mind. The photo is of the …
Don’t focus on how far you have to go, focus on how far you have come, and then keep going – unknown What is Occipital Neuralgia? That was my question to the Neurologist. I had never heard of this condition, nor did I realize in February just how much it was going to impact my life. The official definition given by the American Association …
Yesterday I took a walk on campus during lunchtime. In the peacefulness of the grounds, surrounded by apple trees, butterflies, and bumblebees, it is easy to forget the ugly history of the campus and what lies beneath its grounds. The world has always struggled with how to treat those whose minds have betrayed them. The true mentally ill are often as locked away from …
Today I walked among them. Standing in rows and columns, spaced precisely apart. Straight at attention, in death, as they were in life. Twice a day for the past 7.5 years I have passed them. They silently peer out at me as I drive by. Surrounded by flowers and flags, as neatly spaced as they are. They are warmed by the heat of the …
All Gave Some, Some Gave All. You Are Not Forgotten. 70 years ago today a 19-year-old medic, named Clarence, went missing during the May Massacre in Kungwong So Korea. My mother had just turned 5 years old and was waiting for her uncle to come home to celebrate her birthday as he had promised. Instead, in Middlebury, Vt an empty casket lays in a …
What does Mom want for Mother’s Day? It’s Mother’s Day and the question comes up, what to get mom for Mother’s Day. The answer is so simple and often overlooked. I am your mom. I don’t want trinkets, cards or flowers, although always appreciated. I don’t need to spend a day to myself in a spa, nor do I need you to make special …
Never underestimate a woman who loves a photographer, and was born in October. In actuality, the tee-shirt that appeared in the Facebook ad said photography, not a photographer. I saw the latter. They should have only added wine in their algorithm I would be fully convinced Facebook is listening. Yes, I am in love with a photographer who is teaching me to love photography. However, I am …
“You’ve got to be kidding”, You said to our mother. “You brought home a sister, I wanted a brother”! For months you would tell, Everyone you did see. This is my sister, Her name’s Timothy. Eventually, you warmed up, And the name it did change. However what you called me, Depended on the exchange. You taught me well dear brother. Unconditional love, Is often …
I did it! The first day of spring and today, after 5 months I packed my trusty bicycle into the car. A quick stop at Cumby’s to pump up my much-neglected tires, and went down to the Boscawen Town Park. I enjoy this stretch of the Northern Railtrail. It is a flat ride behind a farm where the fields are full of wheat in …
As she gazes towards the sea Eyes wonder of a child Becoming a young woman A brief moment caught in time On the edge of life A fleeting glimpse of who she’ll be