aloneness

On The Rocks

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It had been another day of driving on western roads, the kind where what looked so close up ahead was actually much farther away.

I finally quit at 5 o’clock not because I was ready to call it a day but rather because the distance to the next town was too great. Even then, it wasn’t much more than one of those “wide place in the road” communities with a sign that says: Welcome! We are glad to see you! and another sign that says: Come back again!

There was one motel. A bell on the counter summoned an elderly … Read the rest “On The Rocks”

31 Days That Led To This Question

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A few minutes after midnight, my wife fell on the way to the bathroom. She wasn’t able to move her left leg without pain, so my only option was to call 911—a personal first.

Hospital staff confirmed the expected—a fractured hip requiring immediate surgery. After four days of recovery in the hospital, she would then be moved to a rehabilitation facility for an extended stay.

Not until after I had returned to the now eerily quiet house shortly before daybreak was I able to think through what had happened in such a short time and try to get my arms … Read the rest “31 Days That Led To This Question”