Every once in a while on Facebook, I receive a notification about a wave or a poke. The latter I typically find awkward. It’s such an “old school” thing on social media, and I know some people find it to be pushy. Heck, I got a poke the other day, which led me to think, […]
Saying goodbye to the kind and thoughtful Ruth Lange Read More »
“As long as you’re alive, Dad is alive.” My old man said that several times on Father’s Day in 2012 while talking to John Henry, an uncle and my late grandfather’s brother-in-law and best friend. I’ve thought about that statement occasionally in the 12 years since. For my father, John was the last connection left
Twelve Days of Christmas 2024, Part IV: The old man and John Henry Read More »
Aug. 5, 2019. A day I’ll never forget, and one full of memories that I’d rather not remember. Like any August day in Kansas, it was hot as hell. As I had been for the previous three weeks, I slept, as much as I could anyway, in my father’s recliner. Dad lay next to me
Four years later, the last day still stings Read More »
October 1991. I was 15 years old and a sophomore in high school. I remember that year because it was a difficult one. My parents’ marriage was falling apart, my grades were as bad as they ever got, and I was your typical irritable, moody teenager. The highlights included being fired by my father and
Webb: The story behind the book I’m writing about Brenda Keller Read More »
This blog was written, but not published, on June 6, 2019. Dad passed away one day shy of two months later at age 74. He texted one year ago today to tell me that he was no longer undergoing treatment for cancer. It’s a text I’ll never forget. At the time, my family and I
Webb: The day Dad decided he was ready for the afterlife Read More »
Note: This blog was written on Jan. 26, 2019, about six weeks before Dad passed away on Aug. 5, 2019. Today brought another “shit’s getting real” moment with my Dad. Before I get into that, I should say that these moments really aren’t what you think they’d be. At least they haven’t been for me.
Hey, Brenda. It’s probably a little odd getting a note from me. After all, I didn’t know you. But I’ve written my dad several times since he died in August, and I know he reads them. I figure you’ll read this, too. You would have celebrated your 41st birthday today. That seems hard to believe.
Webb: A letter to Brenda Keller on what would have been her 41st birthday Read More »
Hey, Dad. It’s Aug. 24, 2019, 19 days since you passed. Today, we took care of the last item on your short list of requests: We set the headstone and sprinkled some of your ashes over the plot. It was an odd day for late August, cloudy, a bit of a breeze and somewhat cool.
The final item on Dad’s short checklist Read More »
Something drew me to Dover, Kansas. On a frigid day in 1996, I jumped into my car and drove west from Burlingame, traveling through Harveyville on my way to tiny Dover, located about 10 miles southwest of Topeka. In a conversation a few days before, Brenda Michelle Keller’s name was mentioned. It was a name most of
Brenda Michelle Keller: Life beyond death Read More »
