Nadine Mensing

“Is it possible! is it really possible! so the dear God has not forgotten us!" exclaimed the grandmother.”
― Johanna Spyri, Heidi

“That noise you are hearing, drowning out
the blows of life, is the wind touching the fronds of the thirty or so eighty-foot-tall palm trees encircling the centrally located swimming pool. You have fun thinking this sound might be the Holy Spirit.”
― Tom Hillman, Digging for God

“Yet the upcoming year was going to be a new phase of my life. I would get to follow my big
 
brother to the big house. I had reached that golden age of six. Finally, I was going to experience

the real deal. This was no appetizer, or tater tots, or French fries. This was the whole Ore-Ida. I would be amongst thechaos like all the neighborhood kids. Everyone that knew Jerry would get to know me, too.
Since we were at Aunt Kathy’s, I had to curtail my exuberance. We had nothing like the freedom at mom’s shack. So, I did my best to remain out of sight. But those efforts were futile. School was just hours away. I really couldn’t contain myself without medication or God forbid, a good old-fashioned ass beating.
Well, Aunt Kathy implored me to settle down. She kept issuing threat after threat with such statements, “Boy, do I needto beat the black off of you,” or “Gorilla will be your name when

I’m finish!” Yes, I got the message but beating my butt wasn’t going to be enough. Heck, I had been waiting for three long, long years just to join Jerry. Anything short of a bullet wasn’t going to stop me.”
― Harold Phifer, My Bully, My Aunt, & Her Final Gift

“He had a wrinkled, pointy face like a rubber glove puppet with the fingers drawn together.”
― Murray Bailey, The Prisoner of Acre