Anyone who knows me, even casually, understands how much I loved my Mama. She was such a joy in my life, and it goes without saying that I miss her every day. Still, her legacy continues—in my heart and in the hearts of those who were influenced by her life. One thing that always made…
Author: dlnorris
Passionate about writing, reading, coffee, and interesting people with a story.
Touched By An Angel
I dreaded the task ahead of me and had been procrastinating for too long. Today was the day that I would finally handle the business of changing my Dad’s primary death benefit recipient from my mother to his secondary heirs. Why was this so hard? It seems that everything requiring the permanent removal of my…
Thief of Memories
The gray corridor is long, and dimly lit. Empty bookshelves now line the walls where volumes of life history once resided; fascinating stories of childhood, travel, talent, love, family. One by one the books have been removed from the shelves and cast into an irretrievable space. He was born on Monday, March 15, 1926 at…
When I Leave
It was a conversation that I was not comfortable with, purely for selfish reasons. I simply was not ready to let my Mama go. For almost 70 years she had beautifully and consistently influenced my life with her sweet, loving ways. To carry on without her was beyond my comprehension. But she insisted that we…
The Candy Truck
It was 1957, and the summer of my sixth year. At the time, we lived in Vallejo, California and my mother worked a short distance away at Levi Strauss and Co. It was her job to make and attach the pockets on the name brand jeans. Simply, this meant that I stayed with my Aunt Maggie during…
Ageless Beauty
This is a picture of ageless beauty, the kind that doesn’t lose sleep over wrinkles. It emanates from deep within – it’s the sweet essence of the soul. I imagine that many will not be fortunate enough to experience it for themselves, perhaps not even know of someone who possesses this unique beauty. I was…
Point of View
A dear, elderly friend of mine once remarked, “Honey, it’s all in the way you look at things.” I’ve often recalled her insightful words of wisdom, especially during challenging seasons of my life. Obviously, this positive and faith-filled individual had discovered a very precious secret along life’s pathway which enabled her to view her circumstances…
Grace and Forgiveness
I’ve spent a great deal of time pondering the concept of grace. One of the very first grace-filled moments that I can recall took place when I was about seven years old. Jim was a soft-spoken man and the owner of a small gas station in Vallejo, California that I passed by each day on…
The Porch Light
My childhood was more than memorable. If I ever had any inclination of jeopardizing the blessed freedom I had been afforded due to my trustworthy nature, it was quickly banished from my thoughts. I loved being able to run the neighborhood in the summertime, and I knew how to ensure that it stayed that way;…
Saturday Morning
It was pretty much the same routine every Saturday morning, but, believe me, it never grew old. Really. The kitchen always smelled of waffles and warm maple syrup. Bacon sizzled in a cast iron skillet on the stovetop. The wonderful aromas, along with gospel music from the record player drew us all to the table…
Carry On
I haven’t written for nearly two years. For an author, this admission is not a particularly good omen. Well on my way to a third publishing, a divine intervention was about to occur that would usher in an abrupt change of course. Banish book-writing, editing, and marketing. This was a higher calling, one that required…
Because of Goldie
It was Christmas Eve of 1959, and my parents surprised me with an eight-week-old yellow lab puppy. She was beautiful, and of course, I named her Goldie. She had one of the sweetest dispositions, and we all adored her. Goldie was about five months old when we made the long trip from Vallejo, California to…
Field of Memories 