Category: Fayteen

  • A friend who listens

    One day recently, the week before my daughter Ranna had surgery, I was feeling stressful. I had promised Ranna that I would go with her to a doctor’s appointment. I was trying to get caught up with everything so that I could take care of Ranna while she recuperated from surgery. And, I was supposed…

  • Remembering Patti

    I’m still overwhelmed by sadness when I remember Patti, my good friend and business partner in my real estate business. But, even though I’m grieving, I can’t keep from smiling when I think about Patti’s laughter and her loyalty and her many kindnesses. I’ve been thinking about Patti constantly since she died earlier this month.…

  • Resolute Woman? Or, superwoman?

    Fayteen recently had surgery. “The doctor told me that I’ll be driving in a week,” she told me before the surgery. “I’ll be back to normal in a week or two.” I know for certain that Fayteen is a Resolute Woman and that her determination and optimism are strengths. Sometimes, however, even Resolute Women try…

  • Just say something “nice”

    I recently saw an old friend, someone I hadn’t seen in a long time. “You look great, Fayteen,” she said, “but what did you do with your hair? I really liked it the way you used to wear it.” Was this a compliment? Her voice was sweet, but I detected criticism in the sweetness. Was…

  • Getting back on the horse

    I remember the first time I was thrown off a horse. I started to run away—to run as far away from that horse as I could run. But my dad wouldn’t let me run away. He caught me before I could fly away. He put his arms around me, and we stood by the horse…

  • Calm and chaos

    I am proud to report that it’s peaceful at our house. All three of our dogs usually remain calm. Gracie Girl, a five-pound apricot-red poodle is the smallest, but she reigns as head of the pack. Roxie Ravin, at seven pounds, is always the gentle caretaker staying close to her human and nonhuman friends when…

  • Contemplation and action

    When we found out that my daughter Ranna was going to the hospital for treatments every afternoon for two months, my first reaction was panic. How could I change my business schedule so that I could take Ranna to the hospital every afternoon? After a few minutes, I calmed down and thought about the five…

  • Accepting life as it is

    I have good news. My daughter who has been struggling with breast cancer and its complications for 1-1/2 years is now getting a series of new treatments. We have hope that these treatments for two hours a day, five days a week for two months will be a turning point and that they will help…

  • The power of fantasy

    When my children were younger, they sometimes asked for the impossible. I remember one summer when they both decided that they wanted to go to Six Flags Over Texas and they wanted to go immediately. Because I was a single mother on a limited budget, my first reaction was to feel sad. I don’t remember…

  • Sometimes you need to vent

    As some of you know, my daughter has been battling major health issues for almost a year and a half and I have been her major supporter—going with her to the numerous doctors’ appointments, cooking her meals, trying to encourage her. One day recently I just felt tired. I wasn’t sure I could go to…