The Empty House

The living room of my childhood home in New Albany, Indiana. 1725 Grantline Road. I always wanted to slide down the stairs but the post at the bottom would surely cause embarrassing injury. If one was obese it may have been difficult to squeeze through the narrow archway to the kitchen. The heating vents were…

Courage

I loved my adoptive mother but I didn’t always agree with her. I’m glad she taught me to stand up to bullies and defend myself. But I remember her instructing me to stay away from the problems of others. Perhaps she thought if I shielded myself from conflict I would somehow be protecting myself. Later…

Concrete Gray Steps

This is my childhood home in New Albany, Indiana. In the summertime the hot sun would blaze behind the house where I would sit on concrete steps and squint into the sky. Gray paint would always flake off the steps like dried flower petals. As golden rays soaked into my bare chest I would try…

Henrietta Lukemeyer

Henrietta Lukemeyer was an elderly lady who lived down the hill from my childhood home in Indiana. She rarely stopped by to say hello to my mom, but when she did I remember her positive energy and politeness. She always wore a smile and smelled like fresh flowers. Sometimes she sold Avon products door to…

Never Be Afraid of a Bully

When I was a child, my adoptive father would always joke with me, telling me that he and my adoptive mom picked me out from a room of babies. "I want the curly-headed one over there," he told me he said to the nurses. For years, I happily believed this story of my beginnings. When…

We must not Stand Silently

Sometimes a seemingly insignificant event in one's life may later turn out to change that person forever. That person was me. When I was a teenager I took my girlfriend to the fair with friends. An elderly lady was caught in a bustling strip of rides and fairgoers and was knocked down by some running…

Blinded by our Light

At an early age, my adoptive mother taught me to be compassionate, kind, and to respect every human being. She instructed me to be slow to anger, to laugh at myself, and to look at myself first before finding fault in others. She told me to enjoy life without fear and to always stand up…

Belching at Grace Lutheran

I accidentally projected a tremendous belch at the lunch table at Grace Lutheran Elementary in New Albany. Mrs. Moore demanded to know from where the origin of the discharge came. "Who burped!" she growled. The kids at the table became silent and stared at me. Determined to find the source of the unwelcome noise, she…

Things My Mom Taught Me

1. Things always get worse before they get better. 2. It always takes more time getting there than coming back home. 3. You cannot teach an old dog new tricks. 4. The idea of Christmas should not be, ‘I give you- you give me.’ 5. It is far better to give than receive - Jesus.…

Shelly Perkins

At times I believed I was the only boy living on Grantline Road, for my neighborhood roamed with females. Older girls with larger physiques eventually subdued me during any test of muscular strength. Every week I faithfully claimed a different girlfriend, in which my love was steadfast until it was time to chose another. Except…

Open your Eyes and Dream!

I was seven when I had my first lucid dream. Of course I didn't know the official name, but I did sense "I know I am dreaming." I was at the landing of our creaky staircase of my childhood home, three steps from the bottom. I saw my surroundings from my point of view, noticing…

Dreams of Stardom

"Hello Matt! It is great to find you on Facebook," I typed on my tablet. It was so nice to catch up with Matt. He had a great sense of humor and a jolly laugh. I hadn't heard from Matt for over forty years since German class in High School. Two years earlier, Matt was…

The Grocery Store

The old woman bumped her shopping cart head-on into moms. "Goodness, M.. I'm sorry," the old woman grumbled. "Oh, that's okay," mom said apologetically with a big smile." I guess I shouldn't have stalled in the middle of the aisle." Mom's cart was not in the middle of the aisle, and the old woman simply…

Winds of Change

It was a plausible answer. The Great Ice Age swept over the earth and froze all the dinosaurs. I had no reason to doubt Mrs. Moore, my fourth grade teacher at Fairmont Elementary in New Albany, Indiana. If I verified her claims in my encyclopedias that dad bought me, I'm sure this fact would be…

I’m Gonna Shoot Ya, Dad

"I'm gonna shoot ya, dad," Trever said with a grin as Dad was relaxing in his favorite chair. "Trevor, put that darn thing down. You could put my eye out." Dad raised his newspaper above his nose for protection. Trevor's dad worked as a pipe fitter and always brought home cool giant rubber bands for…