Norma and the Not So Distant Drums
But I cherish these aimless hands and remember the otherworldly ecstasy of holding them the first time.
Read MoreBitter Pills and Glimpses
“I'm your memory,” I tell her, “I'll tell you what you've forgotten.”
Read MoreAfter the Storm
If we could just be freeze-framed in this moment, it would be a good way to die.
Read MoreSelf Pity on Parade
I beg her forgiveness, serve her breakfast and try to catch a millisecond nap while she eats and watches the “Today” show's glib answers to all human problems.
Read MoreThe Decline and Fall of Practically Everything
Later, she awakens again and asks me to sit with her. She tells me she never feels good. As I try to discover why, the elliptical phrases start-- “I want to . . . ,” “I wish we could . . .,” “Where are . . . .” They are tantalizing thoughts she never completes.
Read MoreNorma's Bathroom Serenade
Norma slept late again today, staying abed long past the prescribed time for her arsenal of medications.
Read MoreHeart Attacks
When someone you've been close to for a long time loses memories, so do you.
Read MoreMusic, Movies, and the Mutt
The main reason I want Norma to sleep as long as she can is that our normal days are filled with nothing much but sitting.
Read MoreTake 20 and Call Me in the Morning
Norma has never been a hypochondriac.
Read MoreNorma and Freida
In the years that followed, Norma and I would each accommodate and respect the other's “parallel loves.”
Read MoreNorma & Roger Miller: A Saturday Supreme
Now her head moves left to right as if she's taking it all in, page after page.
Read MoreTaking Norma Home
“Let's go. Let's go,” she urges. I wonder if she's dreaming.
Read MoreIt Could Be Worse
It's true that nearly all my waking hours are spent caring for Norma—and that ain't easy. But it's also true that I have enormous advantages most caregivers don't.
Read MoreComing Around the Mountain
There are too many surprises left.
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