Daddy Cares for Me

It’s Saturday. My turn to spend time with my father. I’m ready to go. And, then, I’m not. My cold–or, whatever it is–takes a turn for the worse. I’ve been struggling with it for several months now. It keeps coming back, or, maybe it never leaves. I’ve called Pop several times, but he’s been out…

“From the Ground Up: Building a Village,Eco-Kid Style”, by Khadijah Lacina

Image from University of Arkansas: The Office for Campus Sustainability I met Khadijah Lacina through Story Circle Network. She is a regular guest columnist for Riehlife. This is the third post in her series on Creative Parenting. 1) 2) Creative Parenting: My Head Is Full of Poems Creative Parenting: Poverty as Creative Catalyst In her…

Happy All Mother’s Day!

What if, indeed, as Buddhist say we are all mothers to one another (past-present-future)? How would that change your part of the world? 2)What are the stories of mothers you’ve known? Wikipedia agrees that Mother’s Day isn’t just about biological mother’s. It’s about nurturing. Mother’s Day is a celebration that honors mothers and motherhood, maternal…

In my mother’s garden: praising Mother on the 6th anniversary of her death

“Flower Cloud Land” Copyright Janet Riehl 2012 (This morning after my father got ready for his day, I read him this post. He said, “Yup.” And that was all that was needed.) My mother–Ruth Evelyn Johnston Thompson–died May 1st 2006. Today is the 6th anniversary of her death. We miss her. A strong matriarch and…

Christmas Memories: Gifts of the Heart

I’m wearing my flamingo Airstream trailer pajamas as I write this. They’re aqua with puff of snow, red scarves flying from the pink flamingo’s while lights outline the Airstream’s door and windows. When I was a girl, our Christmas–like everything else in our family life–was do-it-ourselves from tree to treats to gifts. We cut our…

“Play that GREY EAGLE,” by Erwin A. Thompson

My father Erwin Thompson–musician and raconteur– tells this true story of old-fashioned square-dance music–when it was just music. Janet __________ There was this fiddler back some years ago who was learning. He had one piece that he played quite well, but it was a struggle for him to learn. He hadn’t gotten around to learning…