I haven't been able to get these words out of my head today: We cannot live our lives constantly looking back, listening back, lest we be turned to pillars of longing and regret, but to live without listening at all is to live deaf to the fullness of the music. — Frederick Buechner, The Sacred … Continue reading Listening Back
childhood
Age Twelve: The Great Void
Around the age of eleven or twelve, a kind of cleansing took place, and my memories are as sterile as the old house became when my mother tried to make it new. Not long after my grandfather died, my mother decided to remodel the house. Looking back, I suppose it had to do with wiping out … Continue reading Age Twelve: The Great Void
Age Nine: Penmanship and Shame
Fourth grade was the year of Miss Annie Nesbit, a spinster teacher who had also taught my mother (as had my first grade teacher, the one who spanked hands with a ruler). Miss Annie was a legend. We'd all heard of her since the time we entered school, and now it was our turn to … Continue reading Age Nine: Penmanship and Shame
Gerry Wilson 