Family Vignettes*

* vignettes are short, impressionistic scenes that focus on one moment or give a trenchant impression about a character

I was getting ready to drive away in the rental van when I heard my name being yelled, "Ann...Ann..." I rolled down the window and saw my sister standing a few cars away. She was pushing the smoke out of one side of her mouth, talking out of the other. She said, "Don't stop. Keep working out. You look great! I'm serious, you look about 10 years younger. Really. Don't EVER feel guilty about investing in yourself." She's always been a powerpack of emotion- an extreme of overboard love and compassion and support on one side and on the flip side, her cut is like a razor blade tearing through a cardboard box. You think your exterior is solid and impenetrable, but her cut, penetrates all.

Making Waves

WATER MEMORIES
• A canoe trip down the St. Croix river where the canoe flips over and tosses three teen-age girls into the raging river water.

• Spending the long summer afternoons waterskiing around the lake, going side-by-side with your boyfriend.

• Sailboating on Lake Superior around the Apostle Islands.

• Swimming around the edge of one of the Apostle Islands. The rocks feel slimy and smooth. The water is invigorating but the sun is baking the tops of our heads.

• Houseboating with the family on Lake Superior. Parking the boat at various islands and plunging into the chilly northern waters.

Water, Waves, and Wonder

Writing, it has been said, is the act of trying to impress people you don't know by exploiting the people you love.

And this will be the beginning of the exploitation. It's a dangerous and scarey territory, but why not jump in. As my brother recently commented, "You've got to have some reward for the crazy life you've been through. Why not write about it."

Ok.