Well, a two-and-a-half-hour phone call seriously cut into my writing time, which is fine because, without a doubt, that phone call was worth every second. My friend’s experience of friends and family flying to be with her father, who is a ticking time bomb due to a tear in his aorta that is leaking bloodContinue reading “Heart-to-Heart”
Author Archives: Jaclynn Loibl
Echoes of the End
After deeming surgery on the lining of his aorta too risky, my close friend’s dad was sent home to be with his family and to receive hospice care. He’s likely finished the steak dinner he requested, perhaps sleeping, or maybe savoring the time he has left with his wife and daughter. I’m fascinated by life’sContinue reading “Echoes of the End”
A Bag of Dicks
“Pa Pa,” a little girl holding her grandmother’s hand, turned and pointed, her full moon dark chocolate eyes locked on my daughter Evelyn. Curious, I stopped, trying to decipher the girl’s escalating “Pa Pas.” Leaning down, the grandmother figured it out, “A princess. She thinks she’s a princess.” With a sheer purple dress, the sameContinue reading “A Bag of Dicks”
Snack Strapped
As a counselor, it’s impossible to live up to clients’ expectations. I don’t like disappointing people, but inevitably, I will and do, and learning to tolerate this has been a work in progress. Instead of thinking, “Shoot! I failed them,” I’ve softened my approach to: “How can I help them deal with this disappointment?” RemovingContinue reading “Snack Strapped”
Jaws, Haiyaa!
I am not gung ho to write. “Gung ho,” I think, what in the heck does that even mean? Wikipedia tells me it’s “neither a slogan nor a battle cry, and is merely a Chinese organization.” I go don’t to learn: A Major in the Marine Corps in World War II viewed the Chinese devotingContinue reading “Jaws, Haiyaa!”
The Cherry On Top: A Guest Writer
While reminiscing over dishes on this past weekend, of 15 years of friendship that truly elevates the word to new heights, I received an email. It’s below. Words to my feelings, words to my heart. I’m happy to love and to be loved. Love, Jaclynn My friends, How did I get so lucky? (Hello, unworthiness!)Continue reading “The Cherry On Top: A Guest Writer”
From Buddha to Biscuits
“Do not believe what you have heard. Do not believe in tradition because it has been handed down through many generations. Do not believe in anything that has been spoken of repeatedly. Do not believe it simply because written statements come from some old sage. Do not believe in conjecture. Do not believe in authority,Continue reading “From Buddha to Biscuits”
Triple Threat
The waitress never knew what hit her. “Are we celebrating something special this evening?” The friendly-faced woman at La Spiaggia Ristorante asked me, along with my friends, Reid and Paul. Perhaps it was our boisterous and lively demeanor that led to her question, as we seemed as eager and energetic as puppies behind a glassContinue reading “Triple Threat”
Backwoods Bonding
Four logs in the Lopi stove, Foreigner vinyl spinning, and Reid reading about “No pest strips” to Paul and me means we made it safely to the cabin. At 9:41 PM, I imagine bedtime won’t be long now. It’s the first time my best buds are here. A two-night stay in the backwoods of Copalis,Continue reading “Backwoods Bonding”
Lost in Space
You know what? Right now, I’m feeling a bit off, in a way that I’m not quite in the frame of mind to understand. My thoughts seem to race away just as I try to grasp them, leaving me feeling vulnerable and uncertain. There’s a fear of judgment lingering in the back of my mind,Continue reading “Lost in Space”
Going On 40 