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Text of the page (random words):
r his wings and a pile of books in the back seat of cars and in front of house windows i read i was cozy in an imaginary world separate from my own existence which staved off both boredom and conversations i didn t really want to hear i remember the first time i made the connection between letters and the power of storytelling i was 3 or 4 and home ill from my preschool where we played with a small kitchen and sat in circles my mom a full time working mother of three children under the age of 6 was with me and i savored that one on one interaction because in my memory those times were rare we sat in our wood paneled living room in a yellow house in the heart of town and played school with the easel before me and my mom prepared with a piece of chalk she wrote d o g we sounded out the letters and to my delight a word rang into the air dog i exclaimed she wrote more letters and we sounded out cat with the same amount of glee i beamed the connection fired in my mind and the freedom that reading words brought me never escaped me from that moment on i didn t see my father much just four days out of the month but when i did the visits were impactful how he chose to spend that time with us when it was already so limited stuck with me more often than not we did one or both of two things drove around gravel roads marveled at sunsets and old graveyards and strolled in bookstores my dad a non committal handsome man who lives on the mantra of no worries ever never took me to the library as i can recall because his history of never returned books put him on a list he vaguely referenced with a smile a shrug and no further details we didn t often buy too many books from the stores we frequented just perused chose a select one or two and became curious on so many more topics than we had time my sister as i recall walked around pouting at times and my brother brought his gameboy to an open chair we all meandered i devoured the titles and covers and opportunities to transport myself to another time another life a parallel existence my dad s favorite bookstore was a brick front shop of antique books in the heart of the city a ladder leaned against the tall stacks and piles of books littered the floor cozy nooks in which to curl up were scattered throughout the store and sometimes you were greeted by a cat when i connect moments of happiness from childhood it is often here with the musty smell of old books or in my blue bean bag chair at home with my own stack i was in my 30s when i was gifted two first edition novels from family members the tale of two cities and gone with the wind my father and maternal grandparents both used words like cherish and you re the reader when they handed them to me in the cover of the dickens novel are the words luther peters 1907 featured in cursive writing my dad s grandpa bought this book as a young man while taking a break from his work as a tailor i can t help but notice his cursive letters look just like my own i trace my fingers on the handwriting lingering on the drawn out l i have even put the book in my own daughter s hands letting her marvel over the age and her own similarities to the writing these books sit on the top shelf in our den the room in which i feel the most comfortable in a home i love more than any that came before my own books are now overtaken by children s stories and for that i am grateful i am in a stage of young parenting and active family life where i do not have the luxury of free reading as often as i would like instead i read as often as i can with our daughters meal time car rides before bed i savor the quiet moments of book reading and the delighted looks on their young faces as they explore the stories hidden within and even despite much time for reading on my own i will sometimes pick up the green covered antique novel and feel the weight of it in my hands i open the cover read the opening lines and i am reminded of stories so powerful i feel at once rooted in the present moment yet also floating in the possibility of what may still be the literary magazine motherscope published this personal essay you can also read it here share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print share on tumblr like loading march 8 2022 libbi 3 comments in loving memory of my uncle dave my dad asked me to write his brother s obituary my uncle dave never had children of his own but he sure had an impact on my siblings and me i was honored to write what is published below his life story david roger peters was born on september 1 1950 in omaha nebraska at immanuel hospital to his loving parents roger and virginia during birth his umbilical cord wrapped around his neck and his doctors diagnosed him with cerebral palsy at the time they were not confident he would be able to walk his parents remained devoted to his physical therapy and took him to the many appointments and taught him not only how to walk but also how to ride a bike david never let his handicap define him he lived in shenandoah iowa until he was three years old and roger took a position at kmtv moving the family to south omaha at the age of six david became a big brother to his lifelong sidekick mark peters whom he lovingly nicknamed dog breath as an adult the two shared interests of music books and cars their family of four moved to a home at 5356 north 47th avenue in omaha which was where dave lived for the rest of his childhood he often cited his deep friendships made including one with his longest friend tom maher the two met on the bus on their way to kindergarten and remained close their many adventures included trips to colorado minnesota new orleans and the entire west coast david s childhood adventures included five long bike rides with his father roger it was his idea to take the first of many bicycle trips because he wanted to earn a boy scout merit badge from eastern nebraska they traveled to yankton south dakota lake mcconaughy and big thompson valley colorado camping all along the way dave loved the freedom riding a bike offered and continued to ride through his adult life while still in high school he was active in the youth group at emmanuel baptist church and he worked for the american baptist convention in green lake in 1968 david graduated from north high school and happily worked as an ice cream truck driver the summer before attending kennedy college in wahoo while in college he would travel home to help his family with the building of their lakefront home in ginger cove dave graduated with a degree in history in 1972 and always enjoyed reading about historical events and politics his professional path took him to grand island omaha and valley working for various companies and in many roles including that of a shipping auditor he lived for the last 15 years in leshara nebraska tending to his garden hosting bonfires and remaining deeply connected with his family he is a beloved son brother uncle great uncle cousin nephew and friend dave s infectious hearty laughter and optimistic carefree attitude uplifted all those around him one to not give in to worry or stress he helped to teach others to go with the flow of life by both his example and by his penchant for jokes and hawaiian shirts his gift for humor presence in conversations and his love for his family will be dearly missed on february 14 david passed away and joined his mother virginia in heaven he is survived by his father roger of valley brother mark and sister in law judy of valley nephew andy spouse amanda niece libbi spouse ben niece bekki spouse dan nephew andy great nieces and nephews linnea willa madi nolan and ansley and many loving relatives in dave s memory please consider reading a good book planting a garden this spring finding humor in the everyday and or making a donation to the valley public library or united faith community church share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print share on tumblr like loading february 24 2021 libbi leave a comment howard s story we had howard before our girls our house our marriage on june 9 2009 we adopted him from a rescue 364 days before we officially adopted one another he was a bundle of golden fur a former stray from espanola new mexico just one week separated from his siblings due to kennel cough he sat cuddled in the back corner of his crate once i saw him i didn t leave his side when ben came around from looking at other puppies he smiled immediately sensing i was already attached we asked to play fetch and while we kneeled gently throwing the ball we chuckled as he dutifully brought it back we knew he would be the one once we paid the fee signed the papers snapped the photo we climbed in our car eager to bring our guy home i held him close in the front seat wrapped snugly in a blanket as he shook with nervousness he sort of tumbled out of our blue honda civic once we arrived to our apartment complex and sweetly struggled up the stairs we gave him a bath and he ran from us once out of the tub eventually jumping onto the low shelf of a plant stand willing us to come closer i remember feeling so happy in that moment chasing our fluffy puppy laughing at him and ourselves so much time before us the end of that month we moved into our first house a cozy 1939 stucco surrounded by wonderful neighbors we had yet to know that home was howard s favorite by far he staked claim on the front ottoman in front of our picture window and there he stayed until we moved five years later he would see us pull into the driveway jump up and run through the dog door to our backyard waiting for us to walk out of the garage we came to expect his greeting a dog so happy he couldn t stand still jumping as high as our heads rushing back in to beat us inside he approached everything with this same gusto the potential for a walk shoveling snow chasing squirrels we loved howard through muddy paw prints on hardwood floors five pairs of leather shoes endless destroyed christmas presents and a neighbor s phone call informing us he was galavanting through our hood midday with a neighbor dog as his partner in crime and when our life brought us changes beautiful baby girls a bittersweet move sudden job transitions howard was always there by our sides greeting us with glee we didn t take too much notice of the warning signs perhaps didn t want to see them for what they were the loss of appetite sudden weight loss lethargy we chalked them all up to him being older his beloved day companion mary ben s aunt first noticed the blood in the snow same thing happened six months prior which the vet diagnosed as a urinary tract infection i met ben at the vet that morning a tuesday in mid october we thought hoped it would be the same diagnosis i remember looking at an older dog in a crate thinking how terribly sad it was that he was locked in there all alone grateful i would be taking our dog home with me the next morning october 17 the veterinarian walked into our small room took one look at howard then us and said the blood work is bad the shock spilling over us like a cold shower we pored over the results made what meaning we could from the heartache the focus was on the fluid therapy for two days hoping it would flush out whatever it needed to from his kidneys the blood work on friday was worse in some areas than it was on wednesday even after the therapy his appetite was dwindling but he still seemed mostly o k the vet prescribed him a steroid and other medications to help him be comfortable he warned us we likely didn t have much time we made heartbreaking phone calls arranging what we could for a comfortable end of life that weekend we stayed home ben missed the state championship game of his school s softball team without an ounce of regret we lay in the green grass of our front lawn by howard the girls hugged him snuggled him talked with him anything he had an appetite for we gave to him nutrition be damned he walked slowly around the property looking at the girls us the yard that was his home he did so well we were fooled into thinking we might have more time with him than we originally thought on tuesday night though reality set in and he woke us up with his pacing not able to get comfortable when he wanted to go outside at one in the morning i went with him and we stayed for nearly an hour he stood in one spot for at least 15 minutes simply staring out in the yard i took a piece of chalk from the girls bin and for whatever reason marked the outline of his paws he looked up at me and just stared he round black eyes looking sad and tired and in that moment i could feel his goodbye howard died the next day at about 9 45 in the morning on our back stone patio as the leaves fell and birds flew above ben and i were there with him giving him what comfort we could linnea planned a memorial service and seemingly handled this first encounter with grief with grace and understanding if you ask willa about howard she will say boo boo night night or bye bye back in september when life was still chugging along i marked the full moon on my calendar october 24 since our time in denver i would try to sit outside for at least a little bit to see it and my trusted companion came every time without fail if it had to be his time perhaps it is fitting howard died on the day of the full moon and on november 23 i will think of him once again share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print share on tumblr like loading november 19 2018 libbi 6 comments the making of a sister linnea willa jan 2017 share this tweet email a link to a friend opens in new window email print opens in new window print share on tumblr like loading may 26 2017 libbi 4 comments chunking adulthood i felt the lure of impending independence as a teenager the steering wheel the passport the journal of thoughts known only to me i was seduced by the taste of bitter coffee in a corner european cafe the freedom of an open gravel road the pure darkness of the nightime sky planning a world of my own a life of my own a me imagined i sat on a boat moving slowly on the mosel river the july sun shining down on me surrounded by friends who represented the stretches of the earth japan montana latvia germany denmark even syria we toasted to my 21st birthday with sweet riesling the drink of the region the drink of the last five months we felt the time fleeting breathing fully in the moments of train travel college lectures in a foreign tongue sunday afternoon fussball matches community kitchens the absence of commitments ben said his vows from a napkin written the night before tears welled as i said my own i held my grandmother s bible the rosary beads of ben s late grandma mildred and his hand as i spoke of vows carefully considered for months we stood barefoot six people surrounding us in a semi circle the sky gray from a fresh rain grounded and co...