Category: Family & Friends

May God Bless America the Beautiful

By Cindy Bower I LOVE the 4th of July. I feel deep gratitude to live in America. I'm the one with tears streaming down my cheeks as the flag passes in a parade and at the twenty-one gun salute at funerals. Of my eight great-grandparents, four were immigrants in the early 1900's. They wanted to … Continue reading May God Bless America the Beautiful →

An Unexpected Covid Romance Part II

Cindy Bower - During all the confusion of the covid pandemic, life was in a tizzy. My job at the dental office had closed down for six weeks and when we went back, there were still so many unknowns. The news everyday was so scary and negative, with the pandemic and election disagreements. One of … Continue reading An Unexpected Covid Romance Part II →

An Unexpected Covid Romance Part I

Valentine's Day can be a two-edged sword. Romantic movies are watched or avoided. Flowers, chocolates, jewels, and special dinners are done in appreciation and love or to meet obligatory expectations, or perhaps even rejected all together. Retailers jack prices into discomfort zones, adding more stress and unavailability on popular giant dipped strawberries and roses. Is … Continue reading An Unexpected Covid Romance Part I →

April showers bring May flowers or is it April messings bring May blessings

I once resolved to quit the Sidetrack Sister Society but something kept pulling me back. I was off work from the dental office for six weeks of Covid-19 quarantine in March and April. It was a great time to delve into unfinished and even unstarted projects that had been pinging around in my brain like … Continue reading April showers bring May flowers or is it April messings bring May blessings →

An Easter Parable of Dusty the Cat

Dusty the Cat straggled into my dad’s life unexpectedly. He looked to be at death’s door.  A filthy coat of long matted blond hair hung on his boney frame and dull eyes peered from his sad face. Dad decided to keep Dusty and make him a shop cat if he lived. Little by little, with … Continue reading An Easter Parable of Dusty the Cat →

A Bower Chocolate Walk (or Waddle)

Doesn’t a chocolate walk sound like the perfect setting for a holiday romance movie? That might be the case in Hallmark Land. Can’t you just imagine the colorful booths, carols piped over speakers, awkward quilt batting snow, a cozy sleigh ride, and of course a Christmas tree lighting ceremony next to an outdoor skating rink … Continue reading A Bower Chocolate Walk (or Waddle) →

Life is a Rodeo and other Cheyenne Frontier Days Meanderings

Our 45th anniversary date to Cheyenne Frontier Days (hereafter CFD) last Saturday found Tom and I with sister-in-law Connie, and thousands of others from around the country and world, enjoying the Daddy of ‘Em All rodeo. While watching the raw action in real time, I decided that life is essentially a rodeo, as cliché’ as that … Continue reading Life is a Rodeo and other Cheyenne Frontier Days Meanderings →

Celebrating our 45th Anniversary with Fond Memories of a Kind Stranger

A 45th anniversary only comes around once in a lifetime, so I’ll celebrate by sharing an unforgettable blessing we had on our honeymoon back in 1974. Our wedding was July 27that Christ Episcopal Church in Douglas, Wyoming, the picturesque steepled white church on the corner of 4thand Center at the only stop light in town. I’m … Continue reading Celebrating our 45th Anniversary with Fond Memories of a Kind Stranger →

Measured and Immeasurablity Part II

I'm back with more thoughts on this vast topic! As discussed in Measured and Immeasurability Part I, birth, death, and human life may be measured in many ways. The paradox is that ultimately, all are immeasurable. Even stillborn children or babies who live only a few hours, days, months, or years, have a lifetime of … Continue reading Measured and Immeasurablity Part II →