Creative Nonfiction

Thriving in the White Space

The little redheaded girl next to me, probably about six or seven, had been watching me. I knew this because I could sense her bright …

Ode to Orange

He loved orange. Halloween orange and black, Houston Astros orange and blue, and his very own design of his auto parts store’s brand: Hazel & Alley orange with black-and-white accents.

Finding Mother

If you look very closely you can see beyond the sorrow of Alzheimer’s to the unexpected gifts it offers.

The Untold Story of Mabel

She haunts me – that sweet face in an old photo found in stacks of memorabilia in a rusty metal box that once belonged to my great-grandmother. Inscribed on the back in flowery handwriting is, “Mabel R. Gough, Feb. 7, 1900, Henderson, Kentucky.” Through research I discovered Mabel’s parents and an older sister. Then later, a husband and a daughter. There is no known connection to my family tree. Mabel’s sister, Maud, perished at age eight when her bedclothes caught fire. Mabel’s daughter died at age 21 in a car accident in Texas, while attending college. I know there is much more to Mabel’s story than death dates and newspaper articles, and I have a burning desire to discover and share it.

There are so many stories of unplanned lives – seemingly lost – that deserve to be told.