The tragedies and sadness of her past molded her into a person she did not want to become. She was a proud Brazilian whose beginnings contrasted with her life in the United States. She came with a sense of fun and a feeling of freedom and acceptance. Her heart danced with the rhythm of the … Continue reading →

That night the wind howls, and I think I am on a farm experiencing some tempestuous tornado. Mom’s chickens in the chicken coop are restless, and April and Patches, our horses, are stirring about, digging their hoofs into Ralph’s barbed wire fence. I witnessed a couple of gray-haired men with suspenders, overalls, and pitchforks on … Continue reading →

I was becoming physically and mentally changed. Songs had a deeper meaning to me, and every note and every word was embedded in my soul. I wore tight-denim jeans with pink ribbons braided in the side seams of them, and every time that I heard the song, “Sherry Baby,” on the radio, I slipped on my … Continue reading →

I showed some sensitivity toward him since distance had made us strangers, but I remember how heavy my heart felt as I grieved for the time we had lost. After catching up on our life’s experiences, he sent me away on a Greyhound bus to Salt Lake City and I met Mom and my stepdad … Continue reading →