Brush

My heart aches.

Then, I feel a slight, cool brush of air that combs over the fine hair on my arm.

I remember He's right there. Beside me. In the pain.

I remember because He tickles me daily.

He gave me laughter. He gave me sorrow.

Like a sandwich cookie.

He's on one side.

I'm on the other.

But in the middle is where life resides.

The shocking sweetness of the good stuff.

The grainy, lumpy, crystals pretending to be creamy good stuff when it's bad...sometimes it's very bad.

The tear makes a great escape, and then comes the tumble.

I have brush with death.

He coaxes me back to life.

The air on my arm gently spells, "Be here. Be now."

Comfort in calligraphy that brushes a heartache into a heart fully awake.

                                                 ~Tangela Parker Ekhoff  (9/21/11)

I wrote this after my Mom died. I have a book full of poetry. My favorite pastime is making fun of poets and writing poetry...and eating cookies.

Funny that even when I'm sad...I'm thinking about cookies. I'm actually very happy today and I'm thinking about cookies. Life has taken a turn for the good...and I'm thinking about cookies. There is not one damn cookie here in the house that I actually want to eat. But, I'm thinking about cookies. I'm going for a walk. I'll stop at the bakery on 1st street...and buy a donut. They don't have cookies.

The Mighty Ekhoffs

When the McBrothas were itty bitty things, I wrote them a song. Actually, I just ripped it off from a Frosted Flakes commercial. Some call that sampling. I know it's cheesy, but I think every family should have one cheesy, face palming tradition. For me, it's a song.

I used to sing the song more times a day than I care to admit. Most of time when I sang it, it would lull the McBrothas to sleep, or at least cut a tantrum short. Hey, gotta do what you gotta do, right?

I haven't sung the family song in a few weeks, but yesterday, when it was "supposed, alleged" nap time around the house, the boys were singing the family song!  It made feel all warm and fuzzy.





Everywhere we go

people want to know

who we are

'cause we are stars

we are The Ekhoffs

the mighty, mighty Ekhoffs.



I wrote this song when we were in the initial throes of poverty. I wrote it because in many ways I felt so small, insignificant, and hopeless. I guess singing that we were "mighty" gave me some kind of comfort. We are slowly climbing our way out, but every single day I am thankful for the struggle, and thankful for the strength it has brought our family.


No matter how hard things get, no matter what we go through as a family; I want the boys to remember we are a family. We are bonded not just by blood, but by love. I hope when they are old men they'll look back and think of the family song with fondness. I hope they teach it to their grandchildren...I hope my intergalactic great-grandchildren think it's the cheesiest thing they have ever heard!

The McBrothas in a stroller...with a bored tiger behind them.

Flip-Flops

A chubby old lady just fell in the Wal-Mart parking lot. She was wearing white socks and pink flip flops. The contents of her purse spilled all around her. She sat up, and started putting stuff back in her purse. Then a cute young man came over to help her. He handed her a matchbox car and a handful of change. 




In his hand he was holding a tattered semi-opened tampon. She started laughing. He started laughing. He said, "I'm sorry." She said, " Are you gonna give me that tampon or do you need it?" The old chubby lady was me...Note to self: Don't wear flip flops and socks...oh, and stop going to Wal-Mart ... double oh, take tampons from 1996 out of purse. #FACEPALM




P.S. I also shoved this random Mussolini Medallion in my purse before the  young man saw it. The last thing you want to be is a communist in Oklahoma...that's almost as bad as being a democrat.