Ramadhan Washington watched diabetes take the life away from his wife Helen one piece at a time. First she suffered a stroke, then paralysis took away use of her right side before she eventually had both of her legs amputated. She died at the age of 73.
Now we head into what’s called the dead of winter. A month ago, the holiday spirit knocked most of the sting out of the harshness of the season. Now there’s no holiday cheer or warmth to protect us from what lies ahead: Old Man Winter.
In a couple of days, we will arrive at a new year. And what a strange trip this past year has been. Actually, it’s been an odd beginning of this decade with the pandemic, presidential and election shenanigans, strange weather and the like.
More and more, it seems I hear people saying it doesn’t feel like Christmas. I’ve heard this for several years now.
It gives time to worry if you’ve been naughty or nice enough through the year to be rewarded with presents on Christmas instead of a lump of coal or no gifts at all.
It’s that giving time of year again. And to help you find that perfect Christmas gift, look no further than the annual Alonzo Weston Catalog of Entirely Fictitious St. Joseph Toys.
National Homeless Persons’ Remembrance Day is observed on Dec. 21, the first day of winter. That’s also the winter solstice, when the Earth is farthest from the sun, resulting in the longest night.
In Thanksgiving days of my youth, I’d wake to the smells of turkey, pies, collard greens and yams coming from our kitchen. My grandmother, great-grandmother and mother toiled in the hot kitchen creating the culinary incense. The beckoning smells wafted through the whole house, stoking my app…
My dad would probably be alive today if he cared a little bit more about his health. But he was like most men who wouldn’t go to a doctor unless their leg was cut off or worse.
Here’s a sign of our times: a person holding a sign and panhandling, standing right next to a “help wanted” placard.
