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Threads that Connect Us
We spread the quilt made from old Levi’s near the headstones. And set out the makings of afternoon tea: cucumber sandwiches with the crusts cut off, cubed cheese, goldfish crackers (like she used to serve her little granddaughters), raspberries and pastries from the local bakery. I like to gather two generations of girls for any reason, but especially for a tea party, something my mom began when the granddaughters arrived in bunches. After 5 grandsons, there were 4 granddaughters born within 18 months. More boys. And 3 more girls. The first tea parties involved dresses, Beatrix Potter stories, goldfish, Nilla wafers, lemonade and good manners. Now that my mom is…
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How the Light Gets In
I draw a turtle on a whiteboard and tell the story of Twyla Turtle. “What should Twyla do today?” I ask my 2 ½-year-old granddaughter during our FaceTime call. She has been home for a week after nearly 2 months of sheltering in place with her parents, baby brother, my husband, and me. Now my house is clean and calm. And empty without two little people that round out the ones I love most. “Twyla wants to go to the zoo,” she says. I glance at her face up close in my phone and feel a surge of love. Then at her request, I draw a zookeeper, her baby brother,…
