Today was bittersweet. My decade-plus-long friendship with Peter led to, for the first time, talking to his long-time partner and wife, Susanna. She told me about the final moments—how he chose his date and time to take the death-with-dignity medication. The intimacy of it: their prayers for one another, her heaving a painful sigh atContinue reading “Choosing Who We Let In”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
A Faire to Remember
“Am I Jesus?” Evelyn asked, her cantaloupe-sized melon poking out from a wooden cutout. It was the third hole she’d posed in —the first being a busty Viking woman, followed by a classic head-and-hand stockade.“No, you’re the Mona Lisa,” I told her, mildly surprised at her somewhat close guess despite our lack of religious leanings.Continue reading “A Faire to Remember”
You’ve Got Time
As I lugged an Evelyn in my yard work Gorilla cart, the flat country road won out over the fire ant-infested bumpy field. I felt a little country—with shoeless Evelyn seated atop an empty compost container in front of twenty jostling fresh-picked chicken eggs—but that’s how we roll. I also thought of an earlier momentContinue reading “You’ve Got Time”
Patchwork Progress
How seamlessly the YouTubing ladies hung wallpaper. With doodads and thingamajigs, they smoothed and sliced, then stood back and said, “You can too!” And I believed them. Right up until the glue-backed paper didn’t stick. Or the middle section bulged. No amount of finesse with the box cutter could stop me from tearing the paperContinue reading “Patchwork Progress”
The Power Be Trippin’
Browsing Reddit’s top news stories this week is dizzying. The insider trading, corruption, and lack of accountability make me feel as queasy as I did last night after eating too much strawberry shortcake. So I’ll switch my thinking to something of a palate cleanser—like the literal tug-of-war match we played today. A group of usContinue reading “The Power Be Trippin’”
Eyes on the Island Prize
My eyes are heavy, puffy, watery—like I’m up way past my bedtime but still going back for seconds. I probably have pink eye. Or allergies. Considering Evelyn is just getting over pink eye and I pride myself on not having allergies, odds are it’s pink eye. The last time I had it, I was 23Continue reading “Eyes on the Island Prize”
Sazón and Self-Control
Fasting for weight loss means I get hangry. To sidestep the anger and the irritating, drumming-finger wait until a meal arrives—a marathon of time away—I stay busy. Like collecting eggs with my nude five-year-old, folding towels, and wondering how seven pieces of Evelyn’s clothes wound up on the living room floor. Then I remember: sheContinue reading “Sazón and Self-Control”
Chickens Before Fireworks
I still can’t believe we moved to Georgia. And yet, my life here already feels like a comfy pair of worn-in sweats. Despite the four inches of rain in under 24 hours, the thigh-sized branches, the bear-hug-wide tree that fell, and hearing my first tornado siren—the weather feels like a fun novelty. Like the groceryContinue reading “Chickens Before Fireworks”
After He Said That (Book Part 32)
Previous I didn’t realize how much I’d dropped the mask until it slipped completely. That’s the thing about pretending—you don’t always know you’re doing it until you stop. And at this moment, with Kent, I wasn’t pretending. Not even a little. The dome light is on, allowing details of Kent’s face—ones I hadn’t noticed before—toContinue reading “After He Said That (Book Part 32)”
The Mask They Built (Book Part 31)
Previous I’ve been writing this book for fourteen years. Terrifying feelings acting like imagined “Do Not Enter” signs have often felt real enough to stop me cold. Sometimes I could only manage a paragraph. A page a month. Honesty is required. But real honesty—the kind that pricks one’s finger and draws blood—shook me to myContinue reading “The Mask They Built (Book Part 31)”
Going On 40 