My reading goal for 2024 was 40 books, and I finished 39 books. Below is a list of everything I read this year with a short review and link to my bookshop.org affiliate shop. I post reviews as I read over on instagram, so follow me there for updates throughout the year. Books are listed by genre and in the order I read them. *denotes a favorite book of the … Continue reading 2024 Reads
Do you believe in magic?The kind that conjures colorful blooms from bulbs buried in the cold ground?Or, poof! delivers a snow day right to your front door?Do you believe in magic?The kind that transforms a power outage into a candlelight dinner and cozy evening by the fire?Or hides you in the branches of evergreens, rows of would-be Christmas trees suddenly a fantasy forest?Do you believe … Continue reading Do you believe in magic?
Joy feels elusive lately. But I spy bloomsOn the cactus, just in time for Thanksgiving.Yes, Just in time to mendOur aching hearts, Yearning for light on these dim late-autumn days. Joy says,Open up, unfold, hold your head high.You only lose when you give in to the darkness. Looking for more words about books, motherhood, life as a geriatric millennial, and finding beauty in sacred/ordinary things? Subscribe to … Continue reading JOY
There’s a guy in the next town overwho fills his lawn with death:40-foot skeletons, fake gravestones,a grim reaper wielding a scythe(it’s a bit much).But when I turn away, I see the house across the street:purple mums on the front porch,Welcome wreath on the door,and, flapping in the sunshine,stars and stripes, sandwiched between two Confederate flags.I am not afraid of ghosts; it’s the living who haunt me. Looking for … Continue reading Haunted House
“Are you still writing?” Several friends have asked me this question over the last couple of months. One noticed my blog hasn’t been updated in a while. Another told me she missed my newsletter in her inbox. The answer? Yes, I’m still writing–Journal entries documenting last days of school and first days of camp, bike rides, trips up north, and evening baseball games.Birthday cards for … Continue reading Still Writing
1. BEST ACTRESS IN A LEADING ROLE for convincingly delivering the line, “I’m sorry, but we don’t have the right batteries for that toy.” 2. BEST ART DIRECTION for supervision of toddler Play-Doh sessions without intervening as all the colors are mashed into a single blob. 3. BEST MUSIC (ORIGINAL SONG) for the riveting potty training hit You Gotta Push, Push, Push Your Pee Pee … Continue reading Still waiting on my Academy Award nominations for…
Thank you, Lord, for the ache in my neckwhich pops up now and thenafter a night of restlike a broken jack-in-the-boxthat’s missed its cue.That is, thank you for the painand how its presenceilluminates its absenceelsewhere. I give thanks for this brainwhich used to fetch me such good marks in school (the best in the class, notthat you asked). That is, thank you for the humilityI wear like a … Continue reading A Prayer of Thanks for an Aging Body
My reading goal for 2023 was 36 books, and I am happy to say I was able to surpass my goal with a total of 38 books completed. Below is a list of everything I read with a short review and link to my bookshop.org affiliate shop. I post reviews as I read over on instagram, so follow me there for updates throughout the year. … Continue reading 2023 Reads
Background:A woman born in 1933, I am a dedicated mother of six wonderful children and a proud grandmother to ten loving grandchildren. My life has been enriched by the joys and challenges of a large, close-knit family. Interests: Why I Want to Join “The Golden Bachelor”: I believe life is a continuous journey of discovery and connection. Having experienced the beauty of family, faith, and … Continue reading ChatGPT Writes Grandma’s Resume for The Golden Bachelor (and I have some notes)
First, gather your thoughts, your courage, your composure. Collect them like a late-autumn bouquet of chrysanthemums, pluck them up like the last roses before the frost. Dress yourself in finery; put on kindness, wear a crown of peace on your head and never take it off. Knock on the door, ring the bell, or just walk right in. These are your people. Or they once … Continue reading How to Gather
Melissa Kutsche 