Lisa Learns Aloud

Musings made real by thinking out loud

  • Kris

    First, this is not a sad story. If you’re crying at the end, I haven’t told this story as I intended. It’s my sister Kris’s 59th birthday. The 24th birthday in heaven. For me, losing Kris was like losing a third arm I never knew I had. I still have two, like everyone else, I am functional. I live my life like everyone else, with the myriad of emotions, good and bad. It’s natural to lose your parents first. It’s expected and normal. From the time we understand death, we understand that. Kris was my only sibling, 18 months younger…

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  • Christmas Eve

    The dark before the light. Charles Dickens A Christmas Carol has long been one of my favorite books. I couldn’t tell you why. I remember sitting upstairs in my room on Christmas Eve when I was about 14, at midnight watching the story on a small television, in black and white. There was probably a small Christmas tree in my room, maybe a few twinkle lights. The story spoke to me. Over the years, it became a personal tradition to stay up on Christmas Eve and watch the movie. The version I eventually settled on starred Alastair Sim. Originally black…

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