I first met Madonna—not the singer—when my eldest went to toddler nursery with her eldest, and they both announced their little baby brothers to come around the same time. Madonna grew weary of the jokes about her name and eventually told us all just to call her Vern, so Vern it was, and we were kindred spirits from the start. There is no pretense whatsoever with my friend and her large clan. They are as real as they could possibly be, and that’s saying a lot, considering her beginnings. You see Vern’s mother left for work one evening and never made it there. She was never seen again, and Vern and Leonard, her brother, were unfortunately not left to wonder what happened to her because they were there in the car when it happened and then were forced to be reared by the man whom they always believed did it: their father. [Read more…]
Archives for March 2016
Leave Me Alone
Often women will tell me how their husbands act when they fall ill. Usually I hear that their men want attention; they want their wives to dote on them, serve them, and make them feel loved and cared for. Many long for that sense of [Read more…]
Share if you agree…
Guilt-ridden words at the end of memes usually have the opposite effect on me. “America Needs God… Share if you agree” usually means some court or election has decided something we disagree with [Read more…]
Don’t Ever Change!
“I was true to myself, so I walk away a winner!” I hear this blather on the reality TV shows I can’t seem to get enough of, mostly of the cooking and island sort. Contestants say this right after they’ve been told it’s time to snuff their torch, or pack their knives, turn in their aprons, or whatever the show of choice uses to indicate YOU LOST! [Read more…]
I Am Mother of Nine
Though I have birthed only two children, I am mother to nine. Being of the “Suck it up, Buttercup” ilk, I did not take the time to grieve each of my losses as five little ones [Read more…]