Dec 2, 2019SighingSome of us do this thing when life is hard and there’s nothing we can do about it. For whatever it’s worth, I, Pat Durmon and retired...
Oct 29, 2018Like a Jigsaw PuzzleSweater weather. Friday afternoon: I arrive at the Mennonite Fellowship Building located behind the church, beside the creek. Laughter. I...
Oct 1, 2018Some Days Feel Not OkayIn the warp and woof of daily living, no one is perfect. No one is doing it just right all the time. You know that, right? Life can be...
Jun 18, 2018The House Is QuietI am sick. It changes the routine of everyone. Grandboys upstairs with games, husband rests on the sofa, grandgirl naps in a bedroom, me...
Jan 29, 2018Grasse Memorial ClinicCalico Rock, Arkansas. I’m here for my quarterly check-up. It’s a hard thing. It’s a brave thing. A nurse will poke me with a needle. I’m...
Oct 16, 2017Suffering and LoveI’m circling like a buzzard in a parking lot at a funeral home. I need a place with plenty of space. (I have depth perception issues.) My...
May 8, 2017A LetterDear Flood Victims, As I look at the photos on the internet of Northeast Arkansas, my jaw drops and tears well in my eyes. I’ve seen...
Mar 20, 2017Hard Things HappenCrosses. My husband made me a wooden one. It hangs on a wall. I wear a silver one around my neck. I hear people say, “That’s my cross to...
Feb 13, 2017The Velveteen HusbandHe left the two dogs and me behind to attend an aunt’s funeral service in our hometown, five hours away. My husband will pay special...
Jan 16, 2017Rescuing a DogFog, mist, chill in the air. I visit a friend who just rescued another dog. She worries aloud that she has no place to permanently keep...