Communities

When you are hit with a tragedy, being part of a community is a wonderful thing.  In the 20 years we have lived in Knoxville since our marriage, John and I and our five children have become a part of several communities, and all of them have rallied round to provide prayers, support, and gifts [...]

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Good-bye, Grandma

The reason no one was home when our house essentially exploded into flames is that John’s grandmother had died just a few days before, and John and I were in Baltimore with our little kids for the funeral, while the big boys hung out with friends and family. (Yes, my 17-year-old begged to stay alone [...]

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The Mills of God Grind Slowly . . .

Knox County Sheriff’s Office Investigator Brad Hall called Yolanda Harper and Russell Houser “Good Samaritans.”  Katie Allison Granju called them predators. who gave her son Henry the drugs that led to his fatal overdose. Knoxville News Sentinel commenters called Katie a nutcase who was looking for someone to blame for her own parenting failures.  Katie [...]

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And Justice for All

Lorelei stated rather matter-of-factly the other day that the next time we go out of town, our house will burn down again.  And of course I told her that will not happen, that it is very, very rare for a family to suffer such a random, terrible accident. That’s one aspect of this situation that [...]

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Very Good People

Once we received a printed thank you card for a gift we took to a wedding we attended.  It said something like, “Words cannot express how much it meant to have you at our wedding.  And thank you for your thoughtful gift.”  I’m not kidding–that was IT!  Not even a handwritten signature.  Well, just because words [...]

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When Irish Eyes Are Smiling . . .

Just look at that smile. That is what I will always remember about Mr. Donovan.  The father of one of my dearest friends, he died at home on July 25 of esophageal cancer. I was a frequent visitor at the Donovan home when I was in high school, and I could always count on being [...]

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An Unanswerable Question

Today my six-year-old was crying for her cat, missing since the fire.  And she asked me, “Why did God let this happen?” All I could say was the truth:  “I don’t know.  That’s one of the things that we won’t understand until we die.” The other day, someone said to me, “I know God has [...]

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Good People, Bad People

It has long been one of my convictions that most people are good.  I’ve said it, and I’ve believed it, and if I hadn’t, the outpouring of affection, prayers, support, and gifts we have received since the fire would have convinced me.  Gift cards, money, clothes  and toys for the children, offers of lodging and [...]

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Fahrenheit 451

You know me–the kid who always had her nose in a book.  Who grew up to be a bibliomaniac, with bookshelves in every room of the house, stacks of books everywhere that would not fit on the shelves, twenty-something boxes of books that were carted around from house to house, to wait in the attic [...]

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The Flames of Experience

Most of my readers probably know that our home was destroyed by fire  a week ago.   I know now I really am a writer since I began composing blog posts in my head within a few hours of hearing this unbelievable, sickening, life-changing news. We were not home, which was a blessing.  John’s 93-year-old grandmother [...]

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