I’m hard-wired for formal prayer. I find myself reciting the Our Father when an earthquake hits, and oftentimes at night as I go to sleep. "How weird,” I think, stopping in the middle, but then a Hail Mary (a woman about whom I hold equally … [Read more...]
Archives for 2014
The Shape I’m In
This house was one I often drew as a child, and other than simple stick figures, my only attempt at art. An illustrator turned my drawing into the cover for Behind These Doors: a red house with a peaked roof, a door, a window, and five flowers—surrounded by a tree, some grass, and a sunny blue sky. … [Read more...]
Book Launch @ Readers’
Passages from Behind These Doors: A Family Memoir ~ I posted on Facebook that my book launch Thursday night was a "Life Event." It absolutely was. I felt held, seen, heard, and loved. It was joyous and my heart was filled to the brim. It could very well be the high point of all this (and you know … [Read more...]
Sin and Prayer
My parents were like black and white, oil and water, sin and prayer. My father, not one to boil over, married a kettle of emotions. If he could’ve loosened his grip and if my mother hadn’t completely unraveled, perhaps my childhood would have been different. But it was what it was. Look, we all have … [Read more...]
My Friend Kim Heddy
Kim joined our office as an agent in 1994. As it turned out we had a lot in common: we both loved real estate, ice cream, and dark chocolate. In 2002 she became a partner in my real estate practice: she took over showing property to my clients, which meant I no longer got lost wandering around town … [Read more...]
Behind These Doors: Prologue
Prologue Audio (click arrow to play): My brother Larry was under the illusion that our mother was a good mother, but he had a different childhood than the rest of us. My sisters were convinced otherwise: Carleen complained Mom was thoughtless and self-centered, Betty resented her for … [Read more...]
Reincarnation
Elizabeth Ann Duchi Dec 3, 1939 - Oct 8, 2004 Sixty-four years ago my middle sister was born: Elizabeth Ann "Betty/Liz" Clemens. She was married forty-six years, had four children, and was the funniest person I knew. A year ago she developed a wracking cough. Eight months ago she was diagnosed … [Read more...]
Ten Years Have Slipped By
My Sister Liz Yesterday I found out my sister is dying. I know, thousands of people die every day—but they're not my sister. She's had this constant wracking cough for three months and we finally got her to go to a doctor. The first one said it was allergies and sent her home with nasal spray. When … [Read more...]
Unleashing the Flying Monkeys
Writing a memoir is one thing, having others read it is another; it's akin to being a nude model for the first time in front of an art class. But standing naked in front of strangers (or worse yet, in front of family, friends, and everyone in town) has nothing to do with me or what I look like, it’s … [Read more...]
Sevenau Line: Sideways and Down
With more than their share of scandal and drama, the Sevenau line was definitely not boring to research or write about. There are not many with this name, and within the last month with the passing of brothers Steve and Mike Sevenau (both in August 2014), became two less. … [Read more...]
Shaken, Not Stirred
All right already, so it takes an earthquake to get me out of bed. After 10 days nursing the flu, I wake up to my house rolling one way, then rocking the other. The earth is jolting and roaring. My bedroom is upstairs where there is extra sway. The door to my upper deck has blown open and … [Read more...]
Cosmic Patience
I hadn’t said a word the first three days; I’d nothing to add and was seeing plenty about myself simply sitting on the floor and listening—how I still need to control my environment so I’m not too hot, too cold, or too tired—and how hard it is for me to relax and not believe my discomfort will lead … [Read more...]
They Call it Beach Camping
Summer 1959: Salton Sea My least fond memory of that summer is water skiing at the Salton Sea, a huge inland lake in the desolate California Sonoran Desert. The place is a forsaken moonscape: saltier than the Pacific Ocean, hotter than blazing cinders, and smellier than rotting catfish. No … [Read more...]
I Want What I Want When I Want It
I am self-made, self-sufficient, and self-supporting, along with being self-reliant, self-confident and self-motivated. I am also self-righteous, self-serving, self-critical, self-centered, and perhaps just a wee bit self-absorbed. I reek of responsibility and good reputation. I hold dear my … [Read more...]
None of My Business
A recent blog post of mine provoked a response that mildly caught me by surprise. I sent someone down a rabbit hole regarding my use of the word "retarded" and she nearly tossed me into the briar patch when I read her response, but hey, at least I'm being read and she took the time to comment. In … [Read more...]
19 Nods to Facebook
1. Finally! I can quit feeling guilty about not sending Christmas and birthday cards. 2. I'm partial to posts that are interesting, insightful, or just plain weird. Where else would I find a zillion uses for white vinegar, coconut oil, and WD40, or know about the Ellen DeGeneres show. 3. I can … [Read more...]
Facebook Fiasco
I've come a long way, baby... Catherine Clemens Sevenau You go to a Real Estate convention and take a Facebook class. You joined FB a year ago and seldom came back on because it was confusing, and you felt like you couldn't possibly keep in touch with more people, and then you get home and … [Read more...]
Meant to Be
At first, it was to be just the two of them at city hall. Then, it expanded to include our immediate family: the wedding couple, Matt and Brooke and their kids, my sons’ father with his girlfriend along with two of his former wives (a family tradition... I’m #1 and Rebecca is #2, but with great … [Read more...]
The Mind is a Dangerous Neighborhood
Scanning for Gratitude It all started with the white showing through on the hole in your pocket. Of course it started before then, but the hole is when things really began for me. I watched the white go back and forth in front of me as you did the room, talking, sharing, inspiring- calling us … [Read more...]
Match.com
"I enjoy candlelit dinners, a walk on a moonlit beach, and spending time in the woods enjoying the beautiful nature around us." Oh please. Who writes this cheese? I've perused dating sites and laughed at the liars on there. Give me someone who has honed at least some self-reflection, won't try to … [Read more...]
Soul Musings
How do I care for my soul? By dancing and being whirled so fast that the room spins and I shriek! What else? Cowboy boots, painted toenails, and my faded 501s. Lavender fields, weeping willows, and sweet peas; a ripe pomegranate, a preening peacock, and Sam, my son’s dog. An armada of leaf-cutter … [Read more...]
Cripple Creek to Salt Lake City and Back
Vacation Postscript (2006) My brother, his wife Marian, and I just returned from our fifth road trip of gathering family history: searching through county records, newspaper archives, and historical museums hunting for birth and death records, local articles, pictures, deeds, wills, and old … [Read more...]
My Mother and Me: From A to Z
Over the past few years my mother has been following me around, showing up in my stomach, my bones, and my dreams. She used to be a dull ache inside me, but not so much anymore. In those five years that I lived with her, I wasn’t raised by co-mission—she wasn’t cruel or abusive—I was raised by … [Read more...]
Beyond the Game
Audio: click arrow to listen A “What’s So” Letter to Michael Michael Naumer October 21, 1942 - May 4, 2001 Sitting in your black canvas director's chair, tilting your head, cocking an eyebrow, and wiggling your right foot, you listened. You had us raise our hands and stand to speak. No moving … [Read more...]
On Being Four
Birthday Letter to My Son: You were four when I picked you up from school, and I could see that you were upset. “Mom, do you know what happens to us when we die!” “Do tell.” “Charlie sang a song about John Henry, and when he died, they buried him in the ground!” “Well, what did you think … [Read more...]