Part 1 Prairie Beginnings

Prairie Girl Colorless 50’s photo a child hermetically sealed Fading small against Junoesque pine Cradling basket-less Moses doll Softly smiling sideways glancing Plaid, pleated prairie dress disguising tom-girl legs Honeyed tidy braided hair feigning sweet, demure Clydesdale heavy, clunky shoes claustrophobic feet Drenching in sweet prairie grass Chomping at the bit Shoes shed, running free …

Who Am I?

“Ms. Skarin, you know you are odd, no I guess a better word for that would be unique.” The slender figure of the counselor in the chair across from mine shifted as she folded her arms gently.. She had dark brown hair and kind eyes.  I stared at her blankly as I often did when …

That Was a Simple Procedure-No Problem

"Ms. Skarin, are you with us?" I tried to connect the voice with the face looming over me.  Hi Ms. Skarin, you were out for a long time. Out? Where did I go? My body is heavy against a narrow bed between two metal railings. The machines are making a slow methodical beep and there …

Catastrophic Suffering

I grew up in a fundamentalist religious group in Canada until I turned ten and our family moved to Los Angeles. Our world in Canada was all white with a “Truman Show” atmosphere. I experienced a traumatic culture shock after we moved. I didn’t stand out as being different in our sheltered prairie town but …

Part 1 Prairie Beginnings Prairie Girl Colorless 50’s photo a child hermetically sealed Fading small against Junoesque pine Cradling basket-less Moses doll Softly smiling sideways glancing Plaid, pleated prairie dress disguising tom-girl legs Honeyed tidy braided hair feigning sweet, demure Clydesdale heavy, clunky shoes claustrophobic feet Drenching in sweet prairie grass Chomping at the bit …

A New Year

I am filled with hope for this new year. I will finish my memoir.

Jesus the Christ, birthday?

The celebration of the birth of my King Jesus. He is the Christ, a Greek origin title which means the Anointed One or The Messiah. Jesus was his name and Christ was the title of his role. His earthly body was not created from man but from God’s Spirit. Mary was chosen to carry this …

To Do Or To Be

To Do or Be Every morning the first thing I do before my feet slide onto my fluffy rug is talk with God. I ask for help and acknowledge God's goodness to me. I recognize the sound of grinding coffee and pat my dog on his easy chair on the way to the kitchen. Yes, …

Seeds

“If you don’t have something nice to say about someone, don’t say anything at all.” My grandmother sowed seeds of wisdom and in spite of the weeds choking my teenage heart, some have grown deep in the fertile soil that God has watered in my heart. I teetered on my tiptoes as I peeked over …

Miriam is Human

Miriam lived with her two sisters after their mother died. Her sisters loved her and refused to put her in a brick building with echoey halls filled with people who had differing degrees of “otherness,” and where nurses passed out pills in paper cups to keep the "otherness" subdued.  She was their flesh and blood …

Expectations

Marriage I saw the erosion, the ever-widening cracks, the fights that I tried to block out with a feather pillow. I was placed in a few foster homes before being sent back to my chaotic family who had then relocated to Yorba Linda, an emerging city with tract homes without landscapes, lots of barren hills …

Teenage years (14-19)

Part I City of Orange California ~ December 1964 I lie in the hall with my legs hanging over the top step outside my bedroom door hugging my chest to suppress my sobs, but there is only a vacuum to absorb them. Mother, Why did you scream at me to never look for you again …

Who’s Going To Take Care Of Joey?

I drove to Costco for gas up the hill from my house. As I placed the pump in the tank, the ground began to sway as if there was an earthquake, but I was the only one looking around. As I put the pump back on the holster, I knew I needed to get home …