Ashworth Alcove

Dear Violet, At mine and your Daddy's wedding reception we were under a severe tornado warning. Warning. As in, there was a tornado... on the ground. Some full-blown Aunty Em commotion. The rain beat against the windows, the thunder rattled them. We should have been taking cover. We should have stopped celebrating. Instead, we danced. We danced the best dancing we've ever done to a live band playing 'Last Dance with Mary Jane.' The band played and we celebrated the coming of the new year. After we rang our hearts out on the dance floor, we made our way through the torrential rain to our cabin at David Crockett State Park. He never carried me over the threshold. I could make up all kinds of believable reasons why this long-held custom failed to happen, but I'm pretty fond of the truth. And the truth is we were really really drunk. I had a startling streak of crimson stained down the front of my white dress. There are times you ask someone to hold your d...

List ten people who have influenced you. 1. My daugher, Violet: imaginative - kind - caring I once read in a book about palmistry that a sudden break or bend in your life line indicates a great change in life. Game changer, Violet was. She's a line-breaker and heart-filler. There's life before Violet, and life after Violet. The before seems comparatively boring to the after. She is continuously making me a better person, and the best part is - she has no idea. She genuinely enjoys the company of others and is unusually caring for a three year old, a quality that makes me proud and inspires me deeply. 2. My sister, Leslie/Sissy: intelligent - independent - ambitious She is so special. She is so damn intelligent, and always has been. Since I was young, her sharpness and the ease at which succeeding came to her has inspired me. We're the same in many ways and I've always been able to turn to her for sound advice, typically backed by a heavy dose of logic ...

You stand 3 ft. 4 in. tall. You weigh 38 lbs. You wear 4T clothing and size 9-10 shoe. You had a significant haircut just after your third birthday. We had you talked into a trim, but the girl before you had her hair cut into a blunt chin-length bob. You insisted. However, it's now just past your shoulders again. Still stringy, still straight, still slithering out of every ponytail I make in vain. You hate having your hair brushed. A handful of tiny moles sprinkle your body, including a tiny one on your face just beside your ear. You are loving. You are dramatic. I hear, "Oh... my... goodness" at least thirty times a day. One day you dramatically told me that your legs were SO tired that you simply couldn't get up, not even if there was a thunderstorm. When we flew from Seattle to Tennessee in August you dramatically yelled, "We're going down!" as we descended. You also referred to the clouds as "wind power clouds." You love to play, ...

Your big day was on Thursday this year. The day started with whip cream and sprinkles, with a side of pancakes. The day ended with a bubble machine in the backyard and ice cream cake. Your party was on Saturday. Guests included: your friends from the cul-de-sac, your favorite coworkers of mine - Chris and Tammy, and Nonnie, who traveled all the way from Tennessee. As requested, the theme was yellow and chocolate.

You stand 3 ft. 3 in. tall. You wear 3T-4T clothing and size 8 shoe. Some days your eyes seem more of a gray-blue. Your hair is well past your shoulders and stringy straight. It's soft and fine and slithers out of every pony tail that I've made in vain. You've only had the one haircut just before turning two. I've offered to take you for a trim but you insist that it will hurt. You have a few tiny moles that have appeared - one on your back, one on your arm and one on the back of each thigh. You are kind. At three, you are more thoughtful than most adults. When your birthday party guests arrived, you promptly began handing out party favors to each one - even me. Then you began handing out drinks. Just days ago I was laying down with a horrible headache and you brought me your vitamins and promised it would make me better. You are incredibly capable of doing things for yourself, which makes you feel empowered and independent. You are funny and dramatic at time...

She jotted down something on a post-it with her pink pen. Then she reached across the air that separated us and stuck the little paper on my notebook. It had the dates of two different weekends scrawled across it and that was it. Puzzled, I looked to her for an explanation. "Pick one," she said. "Pick when you'd like to go stay at the cabin." You see, this person's family has a cabin right on the lake. I had been extra stressed and she happens to be extra kind. That person is a coworker - my boss, to be exact. Sometimes in life we find ourselves in the company of kind people who recognize when your soul needs some nourishment.

Back in December I entered an essay contest. The prize - A 42 acre farm in Tennesssee. In my hometown, no less. The winner would be contacted on Christmas Eve. I went over the scenario in my head... What receiving that call on Christmas Eve would feel like. I longed for it. Unfortunately, per the contest rules, they did not receive enough entries. They refunded the entry fees and now I'm left with this non-winning essay. This was the first essay I had written in a few years. It was a challenging one, because the stakes were high. Nothing came of it, but even so, I am glad I took the time to write it. Fun fact: Contest rules stated there was 500 word maximum. My word count? 500. Nurturing the Flame     Every individual has something special that brings him or her joy. It is a flame within us. It is heart-warming and nourishes our soul. My flame is Tennessee. I have a yearning that is quenched only by the simple wonderments of a country life there. As a child ...