We say hi, hi, how are you, good, how are you? I don’t think she answers. And if she does, it’s a muttered fine or a shrug of her lips as she looks away. I comment on the weather with the mail of mostly coupons for oil changes and credit card invitations in my hand, [...]
“I need to drop off some cake,” my mom says over the phone. “We have so much cake and you forgot to take the cake.” “I want the cake, but I don’t want the cake,” I say. “I’m starting a new program on Monday.” It’s Sunday. I debate if there’s still time for her to [...]
In my family, we like to do it up big. We're busy trying to go to the moon, but we're also contracting rare diseases that puzzle medical professionals. When I draw a timeline of my life, these high highs and low lows, these peaks and pits, they happen at exactly the same time. Some say [...]
This post is part of a new project that I’m working on. Visit Jess Alston’s website to learn more about the Dig Deep Podcast. I have a confession: there's this song by Zach Williams called Chain Breaker, and the chorus starts with, "If you've got pain, He's a pain taker." Sometimes, when I'm alone and angry and [...]
Somewhere deep down, we all want to feel needed here, beyond Can you count these paper clips? Way beyond Turn in your time sheets. So far beyond Pay your doctors’ bill or It’s time for your colonoscopy. Today, I’m mostly wondering why we pick some people as distinguished visitors, and others as just the regular [...]
