(Swept is a reverse poem. What is a reverse poem? These poems mean one thing when read from top to bottom, but the meaning or sentiment changes when you read each line in reverse order, last line to first.)
As a whippoorwill calls out from one of the nearly century-old pine trees in the backyard, I smile, take pause, sip my tall cup of coffee – strong and black, no sugar – and continue my walk in the garden and a talk with God.
“The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.” ~ Proverbs 18:21.
My husband, Jeff, and I visited my parents in New Hope, Pennsylvania last month. Early one Saturday morning, we went shopping with Mom. During our transaction with the sales clerk, Mom asked me a ‘yes’ or ‘no’ question. I responded, “Yes, ma’am.”
At 3:59pm on Tuesday, June 12, 2017, my husband, Jeff – a captain at the Lawrenceville Police Department – called the house. Sirens wail in the background.
When you hear those words while walking through the bustling and noisy airport, grocery or department store, or while at school, do you find yourself automatically stopping what you’re doing at that moment and look up at the intercom? As the crowd calms, perhaps, we shush others around us who are talking. We pause, patiently waiting and listening for the next set of instructions or call to action while glancing up at the ceiling.
In honor of Father’s Day, I wanted to share with you some funny “Porch Time with Daddy” stories that our family howls over, year after year. After every mini snippet, conclude the story with my dad’s favorite go-to phrase, “That’s what you would have done, right?”
When I was in my mid-twenties and practicing clinical nursing on a medical-surgical unit at Egleston Children’s Hospital, I provided care to a very ill little girl. She was about two years old and had a myriad of life-threatening issues that plagued her.
Spit, shake, and seal. Eight weeks later, my Ancestry.com DNA signature and analysis would unlock a family history mystery that has baffled me for decades.
After Mom read my July column, “Be a Great American and ACT,” she called to tell me that I had forgotten to mention a very important organization that I participated in as a young girl. It helped to shape skills, leadership, loyalty, honor, and national patriotism. Which group am I referring to? The Girl Scouts. As usual, Mom was right.
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