Skip to main content

Marking Time

 


Marking time

As I close in on the third anniversary of the beginning of my husband’s end. I did this morning what he’d done on every election morning. I mindfully pretended to be him as if he were still alive and teaching Math at Passaic High School. He’d get up early to doing a few chores, making coffee—making then packing his peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Washing an apple to add to his lunch bag alongside a little bag of the mini pretzels that he liked.

He'd give me a kiss and grab his backpack, place his wallet in the front left inside pocket of his jacket, grab his car keys and say, “I’m going to vote before I head off to work. I should be home before four—unless I decide to go to BJ’s for more water. We’re good on paper goods now. My pretzels are running low. Remember to Vote. It’s important Jody.” I’d nod, “I don’t have to get to clients till one. I’ll Vote this morning right after I get the kids to school.” Then the door would close behind him. I’d stand in the kitchen and watch him exit the front door.

So, this morning. I didn’t do all my ritualistic pet chores nor my ingestion of four servings of greens with water beforehand—yet I did my stretches, cleaned the bathroom before and after my usage as usual. Checked the dryer’s filter, brushed my hair and skedaddled out the door to vote. I was the sixth person to Vote this morning at about the exact time Norm would have voted at 6:30am this morning. This time I said to the heavens, “Norm—as every election day—Democracy hangs in the balance.”---Jody-Lynn Reicher

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

2023 Holiday Letter from the Reicher's

Well, I didn't think I'd be doing a Holiday Letter this year, but here goes... The Spirit of Norm is in the air. As the wind whips with minus a true snowstorm.  In hopes the Farmers Almanac was correct, I pray to the snow gods. Rain ensued the month of December thus far. We have nearly tripled the amount of rainfall usual for December in New Jersey. And I've witnessed its treachery. Storms such as these hit us hardest in July. Then remained fairly intense through til about early October.  Our daughters are doing well, Thank God.  Their Dad would be proud of them. Our oldest Sarah, now a Junior at UCLA pursuing her degree in Chemical Engineering. She's digging the whole California scene. Which I thought it was for her. She's had some good traveling on her off times from school. For her March 2023 week off, she drove her and a few friends out to Lake Tahoe and went downhill skiing for a first in nearly 5 years. She had to rent the ski equipment.  Funny enough when
3 comments
Read more

Sledging the Hammer

  "You could have a steam trainIf you'd just lay down your tracks..."---Peter Gabriel's 'Sledgehammer' lyrics. This is not the tune that lay in my mind this morning as I reminisced about yesterday's volunteers to help on trail crew.    However, as I looked up the proper definition of sledging that song popped up. I say sledging, which is my own take on swinging a hammer that we call a "Double Jack". The Single Jack is six pounds. I know that because our regular crew of five including me and one staff supervisor are handling Harriman State Park Trails, and have to carry about four of those, two shaping hammers, along with a hoist, belay bag with heavy equipment, first aid kit, double Jack, three 18lb rock bars, a lopper, three buckets, three eye to eyes, two burlap straps, two green wrapping straps, two pick Mattox, a roe hoe or two, a bar for either the two ton or one ton hoist, the feathers with pegs for splitting rocks that we drill... s
Post a Comment
Read more

It Follows Me...

One may wonder what would inspire someone to work hard labor voluntarily. For me it’s the love of many things. It’s the passion that won’t be broken. Because there are so many aspects to such service for me, that it may seem beyond comprehension. I’d compare it to my youthful desire to enter the military as a young child. Then for a multitude of reasons only to follow through thirteen years later at age eighteen entering the Marines. There were things that followed me throughout my life. Sometimes they were questions of how I ever gave up my over decade’s life dream to become a New Jersey State Trooper. My childhood desire to never wed—to never have any serious relationships with another human being. I desired only service in military and law enforcement nearly my whole childhood. Too the extent that even one of my Marine Corps superiors expressed to me last July, “I never thought you’d ever get married. It just wasn’t who you were. You were always a loner.” I replied, “Yeah. I know.
Post a Comment
Read more