Stain-glass Eyes

When I was a teacher in a small, rural town, Atlanta, I spent many hours on snow-covered, dangerous roads to commute from Gaylord.   I remember I left early-morning to get to school in order to avoid the buses in Otsego and Montmorency county on the way.   (which included buses from three different school systems)   If I didn’t plan ahead, I had to spend extra time on the road. And the danger of slippery roads increased with the buses. Today, when I drove back from the Upper Peninsula, I thought about the experience I acquired from navigating those curvy, hilly roads on M-32 in all kinds of weather (watching out for wildlife at the same time). It was dark and bitter cold this morning when I left for Pellston to drop off my sister for her flight back to Tennessee. There was light, blowing snow and I took Mill Road across to I-75 to head south. Those small roads don’t have the markers highways do and I saw no one until I reached the I-75. When h...

Mackinac Bridge in Winter I headed up north this week (on my birthday, actually) after I picked up my sister, Jeannie from the airport in Detroit.   Jeannie Jeannie felt she wanted to be with Mom at her appointment with the heart specialist the following day. Other family members weren’t available to be there and she was right, it did make Mom feel supported.   Mom is more than able to get herself to her appointments, but it felt good to be there. She was referred because of a problematic heart murmur. It’s was a brilliant idea to be there at her appointment because we were able to hear all the positive feedback from the specialist and be with Mom.   Dr. Levanovich was thorough.   He sketched out the heart, described what was going on with Mom’s heart and illustrated what could have been a worrisome murmur and how he didn’t feel she fit the various problem categories.   She’s ninety-two so her heart is not young. Her lifestyle k...