Celebrations
Uncle August
When my great-uncle August was in his twenties, he left Iowa & went to study cake decorating at the National Baking Institute in Chicago. He learned everything from spun sugar decorations to ice sculpture. He went to school for 2 years & when he finished, he went back to Iowa & worked in the family bakery. Except for the odd wedding cake, he never used the fancy stuff he learned. He was in charge of yeast breads & cinnamon rolls. Just after the end of WW II, the Valley Dairy Farmer’s Association had the first of the now famous Milk & Honey Festivals. August made a model of the Statue of Liberty out of 250 pounds of white cheddar cheese, surrounded by American Beauty roses of spun sugar, especially for the occasion. He showed me the page from Life magazine he kept folded up in his wallet, one summer when we visited. On it was a picture of a much younger man, smiling next to a 4 foot tall Liberty. He told me he had 6 proposals of marriage from that photo, one from the East Coast even & he smiled & I saw him grow 30 years younger & I knew in our hearts we never get old.
Two Wise Men
My great-aunt Clara told us once about the time she was one of the wise men in the church play & when it came to her part she said we’re here bearing frankincense, gold & myrrh, heavy on the frankincense because of that camel smell & after that her father always called it the story of the Two Wise Men & that other guy & we laughed so hard we had to pee.
True Map
There is no one who comes here that does not know this is a true map of the world, with you there in the center, making home for us all.
Too Many Words
Does Santa get to do as much PlayStation as he wants? he said & I said nobody gets to do as much of anything as they want, or the economy would grind to a halt & he looked at me & said, That was a simple yes or no question, Dad.
Tightrope
Most people she never tells about the tightrope because she doesn’t want to listen to their helpful comments from the ground.
The World Itself
When she held out her arms, the world itself wrapped around me & held me tight.
Ten Commandments
I asked her why she never told us about the Ten Commandments & she said she wasn’t ever that good with numbers so she loved everything as best she could & I remember thinking who needs all those rules anyway with a mother like her around.
Successful Holiday
Rules for a successful holiday: 1. Get together with the family 2. Relive old times 3. Get out before it blows
Special Occasions
He kept her skin in the closet & brought it out only for holidays so not to get crumbs on it. Do you still love me? she would ask at the end of each day & he would hum her a song as he smoothed away the creases.
Some Kind of Ride
feels like some kind of ride but it’s turning out just to be life going absolutely perfectly
Slumber Party
I don’t know if I really believe in all the saints, she said, but I pray to them anyway. It makes every night feel more like a slumber party.
Slow Heat
melting in the slow heat of a summer night, damp with the dark air & thoughts of you
Single Mind
If I love you with all my heart, she said, what will you give me? & then she stopped & said I didn’t have to answer that because she was going to do it anyway.
Silver Needle
Each night, all the years we were growing up, she sat in the big yellow rocking chair & pieced together our lives with countless stitches of her silver needle.
Short Pants
He wore the devil costume at every opportunity even though the pants were too short & could never understand why no one would take him seriously.
Side by Side
We sat side by side in the morning light & looked out at the future together.
Shiny Stuff
One Halloween, my sister made a magic wand & she went around giving wishes to all my friends, but when she got glitter on all the candy they yelled at her & she went home crying & later on my mom made me share my candy with her & she was so happy she flung glitter all over & gave me an extra wish I know didn’t work because I still have a sister who loves shiny stuff.
Sharp Edges
you don’t really notice how much of this stuff has sharp edges until it gets dark
Secret Heart
The secret is not in your hand or your eye or your voice, my aunt told me once. The secret is in your heart. Of course, she said, knowing that doesn’t make it any easier.
Season of Joy
She asked me when the season of joy was supposed to end & I said I didn’t really think there was an exact date, so we left the tree up till June that year.