angels | Anything is Possible!

March 7, 2026
by JoAnna 27 Comments

SoCS: Love Transcends Distance, Remembering my Sister, Shelter Dogs, and an Apology

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “distance.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

You’ve probably read here, and elsewhere, that sometimes we have to love people from a distance. That might be because a person is toxic and we’re trying to take care of our well-being. Or it might be because they moved away, or you moved away, or deployment in the military which makes me think of my parents when dad was in the corps for 20 years. Letters were the thing back then. Talking on the phone long distance was expensive.

David, my first boyfriend moved back to Connecticut with his family in 1972. I loved him, pined for him, from North Carolina. He wrote two letters and I wrote four. It as summertime and I was 16 so life went on. and on… Then in 2011, David found me again online. We had a long-distance relationship. Fortunately, we had cell phones by then, and it didn’t cost extra to call. My heart would beat faster as our regular 9pm calling time approached. Then we visited a few times, and he moved down to NC in the fall of 2012 after his company told him it was time to retire after 30 something years. Good timing! We got married in December of 2012.

Love can transcend distance. Prayer transcends distance. There’s even such a thing as reiki healing from a distance. My younger sister was killed in a car accident on her 16th birthday. A drunk driver hit her boyfriend’s car and killed both of them as they were going out to celebrate her birthday. That was so long ago. March 7 is the day she was born, two years after me. Today is her “heavenly birthday.” Though it’s easier to feel my father’s presence from heaven, I can also feel my sister, Mary Kaye’s presence, if I tune in to her. It’s vague. Or are these just memories?

Sometimes, when I watch a Harry Potter movie, Harry’s friend, Hermione Granger reminds me of my sister.

Sometimes I imagine (or do I hear?) my father’s voice. Maybe I feel or hear him more because I have more memories of him. He died in 2017. I’m glad we got closer before he died. I only have 16 years of memories with my little sister. If she had lived, I think she would have been a nurse or something like a home health aid. She did not do well in school, but she volunteered regularly at a small home for disabled children in the 1970s. She was kindhearted and a free spirit. I guess I’m missing her today and wishing we could have had more time to work through our sibling rivalry. I wish my daughter, my son, and my granddaughter could have known her.

I did not mean to go into so much detail, but that’s the stream of consciousness for you. If Mary Kaye had lived and was alive today, she would have maybe gotten me to not take things so seriously. Maybe we could have sung together. My older sister, Linda liked to sing, too….. They would have encouraged me to sing and to enjoy life. Maybe they are encouraging that right now as I write this.

Take time to laugh, to sing, to play. Eat chocolate. Dance. Laugh some more. That’s what they’re saying to me. From a distance, or from right behind me.

My mother collected angels. They’re all angels now. Smiling, dancing, because I am listening to them.

I feel their feathery kisses on my cheek.

~~~

Speaking of kisses, I got sloppy kisses from Cooper at the no-kill shelter where I volunteer.

Cooper is healing from a skin condition and is starting to put on weight. He’s great at fetch!

Cooper just wants to be loved. Not from a distance, but up close and personal. Dogs remind me to enjoy the gift of the present.

Here are a few more dogs from the no kill shelter which rescues exclusively from the high kill county facility.

There aren’t enough homes for them all. Please consider rescuing a homeless dog or cat.

~~~

I wrote the above Friday night. This morning, I read that US airstrike was probably responsible for killing 165 people, mostly students at a school. I mention this because I want to be clear I am not oblivious to this horrible news. I am deeply sorry for the actions of the US government. This is sadder than anything personal that I wrote above, but it feels personal. Iran does not feel so distant today. It’s not enough, but I apologize for the actions of my government which does not feel like my government.

Still, the daffodils bloom. They give me hope.

~~~

For more streams of consciousness,

visit our host Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

January 2, 2026
by JoAnna 14 Comments

SoCS: Savor Life

Today’s prompt for #JusJoJan the 3rd and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “fast/slow.” Use one, use both, use them any way you’d like. Bonus points if you use them both! Enjoy!

On New Year’s Eve, I felt the need to take it slow. We had been planning to go to a party and come home by 10. Jess was going to a sleepover with her Aunt Ayla and friends. It turned out, we all stayed home instead. Jess and I did sparklers in the backyard, watched the first Harry Potter movie, and went to bed shortly after midnight.

One reason I felt like taking it slow was that strange things were happening. Little things. I don’t remember what. Going out didn’t feel right. “If it don’t fit, don’t force it.” came to mind. On top of that, I had just learned of the death of two people from my old church in Wilmington. The first one, Margaret, was in her 90s, so that loss was expected. The next one was not.

Ton Whiteside was 73, was just three years older than me, and in good health. He died from injuries in a car accident. It made me realize that we don’t know how much time we have in this life. So we should make the most of it. At the same time, it made me want to slow down and savor life more.

As the priest of Good Shepherd Church, Ton welcomed me with an open mind and wisdom when I went looking for a church in the 1980s. He accepted my agnostic leanings and my questions, and he talked about the three-legged stool of the episcopal church: Scripture, tradition, and reason. Ton baptized both of my children, and that cannot be undone.

I’m still processing all this.

Below are excerpts from Ton’s obituary/legacy. I pasted it here last night because I’m getting ready to go out of town and wanted to get a jump on this post, so it was a little bit planned. The part here and above is stream of consciousness writing though. I guess the message sticking with me right now, is this:

Savor life.

In the excerpts below, please read at least to the part about Jimi Hendrix, which was news to me, but not a surprise:)

“Ton Whiteside

(July 14, 1952 – December 26, 2025)

Henry Burton Whiteside passed away, surrounded by his three children, on Friday, December 26, after being badly injured in an auto accident on Christmas Eve morning.

Ton was born in Burgaw, North Carolina, on July 14, 1952…..

He lived on Topsail Island for the first few years of life, where his deep appreciation for the coastal Carolinas began. Once school age, he moved with his family to Burgaw, eventually graduating from Burgaw High School in 1970. He spent his early years helping his mother’s mother, Nanny, with chores around her church, learning to surf the waves of Topsail, and listening to the formative music of his time. During his junior year, Ton and his best friend traveled to Greensboro, where — lying about their age — they managed to see the legendary rock musician Jimi Hendrix play live.

Ton attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, majoring in philosophy and religion. After graduating from UNC, he matriculated to the Union Theological Seminary in Richmond, VA, and later the General Theological Seminary in New York City, becoming an ordained Episcopal priest in 1983. He went on to serve first in New Bern and then Wilmington, North Carolina, at the Church of the Good Shepherd, where he was active in supporting social movements for economic and racial justice. Ton was instrumental in establishing the Good Shepherd Center. Still in operation, the Good Shepherd Center not only provides emergency shelter and food, it also helps find permanent housing for about 150 people every year.

Feeling the pull of another mission, Ton enrolled at the Maryland University of Integrated Health (formerly The Traditional Acupuncture School) to study acupuncture….

Ton also studied and practiced Shin Buddhism….”

To read the rest of Ton’s obituary, visit: https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/name/ton-whiteside-obituary?id=60413162

~~~

The gallery includes clouds that reminded me of giant angel wings over Pilot Mountain followed by photos from a recent hike with a view of Moore Knob located in Hanging Rock State Park.

~~~

For more streams of consciousness,

visit our host Linda Hill,

by clicking HERE.

Not sure my ping back is working, but o well.

December 27, 2025
by JoAnna 10 Comments

Plot Twists of Life

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “plot.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

We’ may be plodding along (or dancing, skipping, running, whatever) having plotted our course and then something happens we did not expect. It might even be a crisis, or a disappointment. It helps to think of these events as plot twists. Oh great, another plot twist. Another opportunity for growth, or learning some fun new lesson…

The plot twist idea for unexpected challenges is not my idea. I read it somewhere. Seems like it was from someone like Anne Lamott, but I don’t remember. It offers a shift in perspective or detachment when we feel overwhelmed by the change of events.

Could my divorce at the turn of the century have been a plot twist? Maybe in the big picture, I can see that. But at the time, I don’t know if I could have had that perspective. Still, I’d like to remember this for future changes that I don’t like.

On the other hand, why not manifest a positive plot twist, like when I got a FB message from the high school sweetheart I haven’t heard from in 39 years. I suppose if we knew it was coming, it wouldn’t really be a plot twist.

When Mary found out she was pregnant before she got married to Joseph, then saw the angel, those would be big plot twists in her life.

Reminds me of this song.

Who’s writing the story? God, I guess. Yeah, God. But we do have freewill to change our plots and decide how we’re going to react to the plot twists in our lives.

As the sun sets on 2025, here are a few sunsets from our “neighborhood.”

May the plot twists of your life

lead to wonderful adventures

in the new year and beyond!

~~~

For more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

November 1, 2025
by JoAnna 12 Comments

SoCS: Serendipitous Company is No Accident

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “company.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

We don’t have company often, especially since covid, and I embraced my inner introvert. Who am I kidding. I didn’t have company much before that, though I did enjoy the occasional visit with good friends and have thrown a couple parties in my lifetime. It’s easier for me if there is a specific purpose, like singing or working on a project, not just random, vague socializing.

Dogs are the best company. They socialize by playing ball or getting a belly rub.

Artist: Stephanie Lambourne (found on FB)

I’m thinking about having an afternoon party for my 70th birthday in December. Singing will be a focus. Maybe some Christmas carols and old hippie peace songs. One of the best parties I ever had was over 20 years ago when friends took different parts singing the 12 Days of Christmas in my living room.

Last weekend, David and I went to the annual fundraising dinner for the no kill animal shelter where I volunteer. I participated in the silent and online auction and got this framed print:

We had talked in advance about not staying for the live auction. Last year it was too much noise, and we didn’t want to be out that late. So, we sat at a table near the exit for an easy escape. There was only one other couple sitting at the table – the woman is an artist who donated some artwork for the auction (so did I!)

Did I share the art I donated for the online and silent auction? Here it is:

Angel Dog and Cat on Rainbow Bridge
by JoAnna of the Forest

I painted this specifically for the shelter fundraiser and got it professionally framed in silver. I don’t know what it went for. Doesn’t matter. Someone got it. I hope they love it.

Anyway, I enjoyed talking with this sweet young couple (younger than us and with kids at home) who were very much in love and also loved dogs. I found out the woman had once lived in Pilot Mountain like me. Now they have a small farm. I kept meaning to ask her where she had lived in Pilot but kept getting distracted. Finally, as we were getting ready to leave, I asked her. She said she had lived on the same highway that is now our address. Then she said she and her Ex-husband had remodeled a blue mobile home on a lot that is now overgrown.

“Was there was a reddish-brown house and a barn next door?” I asked.

“Yes,” she said with curiosity.

“That’s my house!”

She had lived right next door to where I live now!

I’d been wondering why the place had been abandoned since before we moved here a year and a half ago and wished someone would clean up the mess around the RV I see every time I walk Marley on that side of the property. The young woman told me she and her EX lived in the RV while they remodeled the mobile home. We told her we might be interested in buying the property if the price was right (especially if there is a mountain view.) She said she could see the mountain if she walked out to the pasture and that she’ll let her EX know implying it would be good for him to sell it. She told us about the original couple who owned our property and the woman, Evette, who was from Peru and planted all the wonderful flowers and herbs here. I’ve been wanting to know more about her. I’d heard she used to sell herbs at the farmer’s market.

It’s interesting that we ~~just~~ happened to sit at the same table as this young woman who used to live next door. Sometimes social events are worth the effort.

~~~

The gallery relates to the marigold seed I planted in late summer near a daisy plant that had been slow to bloom from a pot. The marigold plant got really big but didn’t seem to want to bloom. Maybe it needed more sun, but they can dry out with too much sun. Just in the past month it developed an abundance of buds and is finally blooming as we approach frosty temperatures. Plus, there was a Halloween caterpillar that seemed lost, so I put it in a patch of weeds near a tree after the photo.

~~~

For more streams and rules,

visit our host, Linda Hill,

by clicking HERE

July 26, 2025
by JoAnna 20 Comments

SoCS: The Queen Rises to the Occasion

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “starts with Q.” Think of a word that starts with the letter Q and write your post around it. Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

The Queen did not respond immediately, but instead asked more questions. She listened, trying to focus. Oh how she longed for the quiet days by the lake. The days before her king went on his grand quest and left her in charge.

Was he ever coming back? Was he even still alive?

“Enough!”

She was annoyed with herself as much as the merchant standing in front of her. Annoyed because she had allowed her mind to wander. And the merchant cared only for money, not peace or fairness or beauty, or so it seemed.

An idea came to mind.

“Merchant, there is a widow who lives in your storehouse. I have been told that you make her work late into the night just to have meager shelter and crumbs from your bakery.”

“Yes, my queen. I have been generous. But what about my request to sell bread and pastries for your royal parties and visitors?”

“I already have a good baker here in the palace.”

“With respect, my queen, your baker is not as young as he once was, and my pastries have been said to be the finest in the land. Would not my queen deserve the finest?”

“Is it the widow who bakes your pastries?”

The merchant stammered. “Well, she and my son…”

“Your son, who just last week kicked the widow, causing her to fall in the street and spill her basket?”

The merchant’s eyes grew wide. “How do you know so much,” he whispered. He cleared his voice. “I mean my son would never do such a thing. Surely it was an accident. But the widow is slow, and I have many customers. He may have given her a little nudge of encouragement.”

“And I have many eyes and ears in the city,” the queen stated, then rose from her throne. “Merchant, I would like to meet this widow who helps to bake your pastries. Perhaps she might like to work at the palace.

~~~

Maybe I’m feeling medieval since working on this piece of art for at least two weeks. My plan was to do a mandala with a lot of green for my living room. The basic mandala tree turned out good, I think. It was not easy on the textured paper. Then the question was, what to do with the center. I wanted to keep it simple. I had no plan to add an angel, especially a warrior angel with a sword that turned into a dagger, but when angels insist on being included in my art, who am I to say no, after all angels have done for me.

Here are some of the stages of this work. The sketch was done months ago. The third photo has a piece of my mother’s jewelry in the center. Maybe I’ll print that one to frame. I’ve left out other manifestations of the angel figure which I reworked many times. At one point there were hints of my mother who was quite a prayer warrior. Maybe a warrior angel can be a good thing to have around.

~~~

For more streams and rules

hop on over to our host, Linda G. Hill

by clicking HERE.

May 24, 2025
by JoAnna 16 Comments

SoCS: Time Has a Way of Working Things Out

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “that time.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Remember that time when it seemed like it would take forever to be grown up or for Christmas to come? There was that time when I was 15 sitting in my friend’s bedroom and we wondered if we’d ever have a boyfriend or a real kiss. Then there was that time I thought I’d die because David, my first boyfriend, was moving far away to Connecticut. How would I ever live with him so far away? Doesn’t anybody stay in one place anymore? He moved on the last day of school in tenth grade. By the end of the summer, I was starting to notice other guys. I did not forget David, but life went on. And on. And on….

The stream of consciousness is stalled in a continuous whirlpool of memories I am self-editing. Why? Okay, there was that time I went skinny dipping in the ocean, and didn’t get caught or eaten by a shark. Lots of close calls in the1970s. My guardian angels worked overtime then. Thank you! very much!

Settled down in the 80s. Worked hard. Got married. Had two kids…..

There was that time when my husband of 20 years sat me down on the couch and told me he was leaving. That was probably the biggest shock of my life. I didn’t know how would live with such a shock. But life went on. And on.

There was that time in the winter of 2011 when I promised myself, I’d stop looking for a partner until my daughter graduated from high school that June. Then maybe I’d have some of my own adventures. Three days after she graduated, David, found me on Facebook. We were married in December of 2012.

Now, time is zooming along. So much water under the bridge. But nothing is wasted. Everything has brought me to this point in time.

Slow down, time! I am content and love spending time with my family – David, my daughter, her fiancé, my son, and granddaughter, and of course the dogs… and the trees… petting Mama Cat, smelling the flowers…

Time and God have a way of working things out.

Since we moved, I’ve been able to spend more time hiking with my daughter, Ayla, like we did Wednesday. She took the last two photos, and I took the ones of the river bluffs, rocks, and moss.

(More to come on our hike!)

…
For more streams of consciousness,

visit out host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

May 17, 2025
by JoAnna 18 Comments

SoCS: The Last Straw and a Close Call

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “straw.” Use it any way you’d like. Have fun!

David and I do not use straws at restaurants because they are usually a waste of plastic. I know there are some people who need straws for medical reasons, and that’s fine, but we generally do without. This has been reinforced by a video I saw years ago of a turtle that had a straw stuck up its nose, and it was so painful to get it out. Ugh. I’ve occasionally made exceptions when I’ve gotten a smoothie and was feeling tired and needy, but I made sure to cut the straw up into little pieces before throwing it away. It’s interesting how often we have to repeatedly decline straws offered by wait staff out of habit. I get the habit thing.

The last straw is the one that prompts a decision to say ENOUGH! Is that the straw that broke the camel’s back? What a terrible image, and I don’t think that would happen anyway. But I digress. I have a history of tolerating a lot of annoying or even toxic behavior until something happens that makes me say, ENOUGH! This happened with the last guy I dated before David. He wasn’t a bad guy, but we were not a good fit. He talked constantly and would go on rants. I hate rants. Hopefully I will not rant about hating rants. Written rants are easier to tolerate because 1. I can take it at my own pace, and 2. I don’t feel the negative energy as much as an in-person or telephone rant.

I do not intend for my close call driving on the winding mountain roads to be the last straw. Having made progress in learning how to drive on those roads to volunteer with homeless dogs, I do not want to give up now in spite of the close call yesterday afternoon. I saw the vivid blue car speeding around the curve downhill toward me. As it approached, I was horrified to see the tires of the blue car had crossed the yellow lines and were in my lane!!! With a slight drop off next to me, I must have still instinctively cringed over as I slowed almost to a stop, gripping the steering wheel, while thinking, this is it. He’s going to hit me. (My stomach is tensing up remembering. Deep breath.) The passing only took a fraction of a second but felt like slow motion as I anticipated a bang, jolt, or a scraping sound.

Miraculously, the cars did not touch.

I have thanked God and the angels many times since then. When I got to a stopping place, I called the sheriff’s office to report what happened. All I knew was the location, direction, and that the car was vivid blue, like a new car color. I figured there aren’t that many vivid blue cars on the road these days, especially in rural areas. I say the driver was a “he,” but don’t consciously remember looking at the driver. Sorry if that’s sexist.

I always slow way down when I approach curves I can’t see around, Now I will be slowing down even more, especially on the close call curve. If someone is behind me, too bad.

The photo below is not the same road of the close call, but it is similar, and I would be on the other side going in the opposite direction with more incline. (I took this photo a couple weeks ago when David was driving.)

Today’s gallery honors angels with a few of the angels I’ve painted over the years… with gratitude. The first one is a small watercolor. The third is alcohol ink on tile. The rest are done in acrylic. Thank you, angels!

~~~

For more streams of consciousness,

visit our host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

January 4, 2025
by JoAnna 17 Comments

SoCS: Walking, Tolkien, Cooking and Art

Today’s prompt for #JusJoJan the 4th and Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “in front/behind.” Use “in front,” use “behind,” or use them both in your post for bonus points! Enjoy!

There’s a quote that goes something like…. don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend.

Let’s see if I got it right.

Close enough.

When the path narrows, we might have to walk in front or behind. That’s okay. If we’re hiking, or walking in the woods, please don’t talk a lot. Talk a little, especially when we stop. I want to see the landscape or where we’re going if the path is tricky, like with roots or rocks. These days, I have to pay close attention.

In The Lord of the Rings, the fellowship often walked single file (maybe it was to hide their numbers, but more likely due to the rocky trails).

To be perfectly honest, I’d rather stay in Rivendell.

Yesterday was the birthday of JRR Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings. May he rest in peace or adventure. A little of each would be nice. Can you even rest in adventure? I’d go on an adventure if I could stay in a warm cabin every night with plenty of food and a full bathroom. Plus comfortable hiking boots….

In my first physical therapy session for the recent vertigo episode, there’s one exercise where I stand on a cushion with one foot behind the other, toe to heel, then the hard part: close my eyes for 60 seconds. Sheesh! Right now, I’m working on staggering the feet so that they are not completely one behind the other. I thought I had good balance from doing so much yoga, but with eyes closed, it’s a whole different game. The physical therapist explained that we often become too dependent on just our eyes for balance, and we are working on my body awareness more with this exercise. There was no evidence of crystal dislodgement at the time of the evaluation Thursday, and the therapist said I likely got a virus in the vestibular system which makes sense since I had a head cold the week before it started. Sigh. There’s always something to work on. I’m thankful to be feeling 95% better and for having help.

Back on the home front, I’ve started my goals to do more home cooking and art. Last night, I made a vegan chickpea sauce in the blender with nutritional yeast for a vegetable pie. It turned out pretty good.

This painting below is something I started a few years ago and just picked back up again with the new year. The three knot holes in the wood inspired faces for the three angels. There was originally a blue/red/purple thing going on, but the red got more covered up. Covering up the red was not consciously intentional. Go figure.

~~~

For more info on Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our wonderful host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE.

June 1, 2024
by JoAnna 10 Comments

SoCS: Recipe for Manifesting Your Heart’s Desire

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “recipe.” Use it any way you’d like. Enjoy!

Some people talk about a recipe for disaster. I’d rather talk about a recipe for success or happiness or peace.
In cooking I often bypass the recipe, but in life, it helps to write things down if you want to manifest good things.
My second book, From Loneliness to Love, which is the short version of Trust the Timing, (see sidebar or below) is a recipe in retrospect of the steps I took that manifested a healthy relationship. Experience taught me to Clarify my heart’s desire, Enlist help from my higher power, Love myself well, Focus on friendships, and Imagine the best. The book has practical exercises on how to do these things, like baking a cake recipes explain how to mix the ingredients, only my exercises are at the end of each chapter.
I’m still learning and getting reminders to apply the recipe to any dream or desire. Writing my hearts desire and trusting my higher power did help with finding the new house. We’re delivering a truckload there this weekend, and Im typing this on my phone. Not sure how available the internet will be, so please be patient.

Here are some recent cloud pictures I took. I wonder if the one above Los Portales grocery store is a portal. Anything is possible. 😉

These clouds remind me I want to get back to painting angels.

Peace and blessings to all!

~~~

To learn more about Stream of Consciousness Saturday,

visit our host, Linda Hill

by clicking HERE

March 23, 2024
by JoAnna 19 Comments

SoCS: Mostly Good Memories from my Living Room

Today’s prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “memories of the room you’re in.” Write about a memory of the room (or park, or gym, or where ever you are) you’re in when you write your post. Enjoy!

Most of the time, I start my SoCS post on Friday afternoon at the dining room table. It’s a small room with a small table and a view of the catio with the backyard beyond. That’s where I pasted the prompt just to get started. Sometimes I write the whole post there, then add photos, tags, etc. later in the living room.

So now, it’s a few hours later, and I’m sitting on the couch with my feet up, laptop on my lap and The Hunger Games on the TV as background. I “watch” my favorite movies many times and just look up for my favorite parts. I might switch to Star Trek during my least favorite parts. But back to the room, which is my small but cozy living room.

So many memories. Christmas comes to mind like decorating the tree when the kids were little. It seems like Christmas is a time when family – grown kids and grandkids come over. That’s one reason I want to move to the hills to be closer to my kids.

I remember breastfeeding my baby girl in this living room and listening through the screen door to the older kids playing and singing in the summer rain. I’d saved up enough vacation to take the whole summer off for maternity leave. That was the summer of 1993. It was wonderful.

There are a few not so fond memories from this living room over the past 35 years. There was the time my first husband asked me to sit down on the couch and told me he was leaving our 20-year marriage. To sum it up (retrospectively) in a nutshell, I wasn’t fun anymore.

A few years later, after the rebound from hell, I had a little party of close friends on Valentine’s Day. We wrote affirmations on index cards for each person going around the room. That’s a good memory. Several years later, in 2011, I remember sitting on the living room couch with David on the weekend of our second first date, smelling his neck and his intoxicating scent that had imprinted on my 16-year-old brain in 1972.

Now, my mother’s angels reside on the shelves in my living room along with a few other angels and treasures I’ve added.