Written by Mike Kiger on May 16, 2011
We lost Keenya on December 4, 2010 due to kidney problems. He was only seven years old.
I would tell him how much he was loved and how much of a good companion that he was to my mother, who is 80 years old, and to his brother, Keemac.
He was family, and he was taken from us way too soon.
He was supposed to grow old with us as a family.
He will always be in our hearts and will be deeply missed.
Editor’s Note: Mike Kiger is a private investigator at Missing, Inc., in Lake Oswego, Oregon.
Written by Sunshine Diaz on April 27, 2011
My memory of my mommy is a fond one.
I remember the day we sat on the porch crying. My Dad had just left us with my little brother in the house we had been living in for five years.
We had no electricity for three years, no gas for two, and never knew what a phone or television was.
Drugs had taken over.
The day my Dad left, my Mom and I at there alone. . .foodless. . .moneyless. . .alone.
In that moment my Mom became a MOM.
She said, “When the smoke clears, we will see the light!”
That day was 13 years ago. She has been sober since then, and has been the Mom I always needed.
It was a miracle we were never taken away, but I am so glad for that.
We became strong women together, and I will never forget her for that.
Thanks, Mommy!
Written by Jeani Ziering on March 18, 2011
My father died many years ago. He was 46 at the time. I was 21.
I have often thought that losing my father at that time in my life has also changed the course of my life. I planned an impromptu wedding with the man I was dating. The ceremony was supposed to take place in the hospital so that my father could participate. My dear father died the night before the wedding.
My first thought on hearing the news was, “I’m off the hook.”
However, that turned out not to be true.
Immediately after the funeral, my mother planned a large wedding. I was distraught over my father’s death and was unable to voice my fears about getting married. It was very foolish of me.
The marriage turned out to be very tumultuous, and eventually ended in a nasty divorce.
I feel that if I could have had another five minutes with my father, I could have asked for his guidance and advice.
Perhaps I would have married anyway; perhaps not.
But at least I would not have felt that it was something that I was rushed into in order to please everyone other than myself.
The idea of 5 minutes more with a loved one is very ironic to me. Over the years since my father’s death, I have often had dreams where he appeared and offered his kindness and comfort.
When he started to disappear, I often said, “Daddy, please stay. At least give me another five minutes.”
Editor’s Note: Jeani Ziering, president of Ziering Interiors, often writes about interior-design topics. She is also currently working on a novel.
Written by Braiden on February 18, 2011
A few weeks ago, I got the sad news through a colleague of mine from my other life (as a food and wine writer) that Norene, a mutual friend of ours in Canada, had recently lost her beloved mother.
I smiled as I remembered all the good times Norene and I had had at culinary conferences throughout the years, and how she’d done some tough recipe testing on my most recent cookbook.
Concerned and worried because I knew what a soft heart my friend is, I e-mailed Norene with my condolences and to let her know she was in my thoughts.
In typical Norene style, she responded immediately and shared this anecdote with me. I knew it would make a perfect Five More Minutes With Editor’s Note, and she graciously agreed it was okay for me to share it.
After my mother died, my brother told me, “You’re an orphan now,” Norene said.
I replied, “It’s not so bad becoming an orphan at the age of 70. I was lucky to have my mother for such a long time.”
Do you feel lucky to have the people you love in your life? Do you tell them that often enough? Do they know you feel lucky?
Written by Braiden on December 9, 2010
On a recent trip to La Conner, Washington, we happened upon this statue along the small town’s main drag. I was drawn to its elegant lines, the calm look of happiness on the man’s face, the way he stared heavenward. So I snapped his photo, not quite sure what I’d end up doing with it.
Then, last Saturday night, during a concert of Seattle’s Early Music Guild held at St. James Cathedral, once I saw the beautiful saints spread along the walls, I knew I’d group all the photos and post them here for you.
Even if you aren’t religious, these statues somehow speak to you–they are simply so spiritual.
But here’s the the one that captured my interest and heart the most. . .the Mother Mary is simply resplendent in her candle-filled coffer. Seems especially appropriate during this holiday season.
Written by Braiden on September 30, 2010
Kate Heyhoe, the very first person who contributed a story to Five More Minutes With, is a talented food writer and a dear personal friend. In the past several months, disillusioned by the state of publishing (as so many of us old timers who’ve published books, started Web sites, and written newspaper and magazine articles for a living are), she’s trying her hand at an entirely new career.
At her studio in the woods of the Hill Country outside of Austin, Texas, she crafts “Dreams of the Dead” skulls–miniature to full-size skulls spun from sugar–and sells them on her Web site. The site is glorious, complete with a slide show of the skulls available for purchase from $20 to $300 depending on size and complexity.
Kate and I stay in touch, and she reports her new business is doing quite well.
In fact, a few weeks ago, she e-mailed to tell me, “I’ve already got two galleries in Austin that have agreed to sell my skulls. One of them is the Mexic-Arte Museum, the other Authenticity Gallery. Please revisit InsideMySkull.com to see the newest skulls. Some are near human-size nightlights.”
In mid-September, she e-mailed, “Authenticity Gallery sold my first skull today — it was a mini, but any sale validates my work.”
Kate and I still marvel, and chuckle, that it took the crisis in the publishing world to push us both simultaneously toward new and, in some ways similar, creative career paths.
Congrats, Kate, and brava!
Kate Heyhoe makes sugar skulls of all sizes–from mini to human-size nightlights
Written by Braiden on September 3, 2010
I am very pleased that there is now a mobile version of the Five More Minutes With Web site, which means that you can now read stories on your iPhone, Blackberry, Droid, or Google Phone. You can even leave a comment or share a story, too!
Although now quite as powerful as an actual “app,” this is the next best thing, and much more cost-effective.
Hope you will enjoy this new functionality; I know I have a ball looking at the latest stories and editor’s notes from Five More Minutes With on my iPhone4!
Written by Braiden on August 19, 2010
I believe there are no coincidences, that everything happens for a reason and people are meant to come together at the correct time and in the proper places.
So earlier this week, I was lucky enough to be interviewed by Toni Reece of the Get Inspired Project. We chatted a few minutes before the interview to get to know each other better, and our personalities immediately clicked. . .two professional women reaching out to others and offering inspiration and hope along the way.
Her twist is that the Get Inspired Project is fast-approaching its one-year deadline. So I feel especially fortunate she chose me for Day 323 of the project.
Here’s the link to the resulting transcript and audio of the interview in which she picked up on these key words as far as inspiration in my life:
“Be aware. I think that that’s really important. Live in the moment. Don’t be thinking about the past or the future too much. Live in that moment and savor it, and then you can communicate your joy to others.”
This is one of my favorite photographs of our family, taken at Chris’s Seafood Restaurant in Ocean City, New Jersey.
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