Brick by Brick: Rebuilding the Broken

Please be patient with me - I am currently "REBUILDING" my blog. It will be finished soon I hope! -Sue Leerhoff at Brick by Brick

I have a garden dedicated to my son, Nathanael. It started out, just planting his Bonsai Juniper bush. Then I added his tennis shoes that he wore every time he went for a run. Next, we planted all the autumn Mums from his funeral.  I scrounged around for old metal gears,  and found another one of the large ones like he used for weight lifting. He was so strong! He preferred his homemade weights over the weight bench.  If he wanted variety, he went to the gym. Slowly I added more to the garden, so it could bloom all season long. His birthday is in the spring, so I look forward to seeing the Hyacinth and Bleeding Hearts first. Then in the fall, I wait for the corn to dry on the stalk, so I can plant it again next spring. Why corn in a flower garden? To remember all the years the kids went to work in the fields detassling. It might not be a very nice garden to onlookers, when only half of the flowers are blooming and ...

The dusty, trampled Plantain that grows in the road is tough. It tends to grow where some plants can not. Plantain may seem like an obnoxious weed to you, but in many cultures they use it for healing purposes. Used as a balm, for many skin disorders and inflammation, a tea for digestive issues or infections, as an infusion in apple cider vinegar to soothe poison ivy, or as a poultice to ease the sting of sunburn or bug bites. Many different health problems can be healed just from this little wide leaf plant. In fact, if you are out in the yard, or on a hike - look for a bit of Plantain when you get stung. If you're not brave enough to chew a piece (after washing) and rub it onto the bite, then just rub it hard enough to crush and bruise the leaf to release it's anti-inflammatory and astringent healing.    

A Rose Unfolding       written by: Sue Leerhoff As the suns peeks over the horizon the town itself is slowly rising the paper comes the treadmill hums everywhere, everyone has a place to be now the city's astir and there's no one to see A Rose unfolding ever so slowly  it started out so small and feeble no one beholding a rose unfolding one day transforming  God's love adorning As the babe peeks over the cribside the house itself slowly rising  the puppy runs the music hums anywhere, everyone needs a lunch to eat now the kids make a stir and there's no one to see A Rose unfolding As the boy peeks over the stadium the crowd itself slowly rising the player runs the media hums everywhere, everyone has a seat saved free now the row makes a stir and there's no one to see A Rose unfolding As the girl peeks over the balcony the man looks up with a smile rising the camera runs the orchestra hums everywhere, ev...

If you are like me, and you have lost a child whom you have had the privilege of spending time and sharing memories with, then you will understand why I will spend the rest of my life searching for reminders of my son. Looking for ANYTHING, all the precious parts that are my son - his story, his hopes, his dreams, his place in our family. In my search for little nuggets, the pieces of my son that I haven't quite seen before, is a Japanese anime series that he watched every episode running at the time. If it hadn't been translated to English yet, he would watch the Japanese version anyway. The popular manga book series turned animated TV show, is called Naruto , which has over 700 episodes now.  He watched it with me a couple times and explained what was going on. One of my favorite memories of Nathanael is  whenever he would try to explain something funny,  and I didn't get the joke,  he would walk away shaking his head at me, laughing....

Summer 2017: Peaches.  The next best thing to heaven. So sweet and juicy, the best ones are firm, yet dribble scrumptious goodness down your chin. Not any more.  I haven't had a peach since the summer of 2015. Nathanael is sporting the red flannel shirt and bandanna - that's another story!! Every summer, our kids would go detassling in the cornfields. All four of them, even my daughter. It was the quickest and the best way to earn money. What's not to like? Scorching hot sun, deep, painful sunburns, in spite of the SPF lotion applied,  cornstalks scratching your skin as you walk through the rows, maybe a rash or two. Early morning hours, where the dew soaks your clothing head to toe, and maybe even a few days of ankle deep mud to wade through. Not knowing when you could use a real bathroom, or stop to rest. Fun? You ask? Not in my opinion!  But for them, it was the best years of their life! Hanging out with friends all day, making new frien...

You may remember the 1950's TV program -  "What's My Line?" The game show that featured celebrities wearing a blind-fold, while they questioned a contestant to guess what "line " of work they were in.                                                               Or perhaps you have heard of the 90's show - " Buffy " ? The popular show for teens, where the heroine of the story is given the task of protecting her town from the evil that lurks within the shadows of the night. One of the episodes is named after the game show,   because Buffy loses her identity,  and her sense of purpose, when another protector comes to replace her. She feels unneeded and betrayed, and all manner of trouble erupts all around the city. In the end, the girl they sent for a back-up realizes that this is Buffy's to...