Essays of varying lengths, written by Debbie LaChusa, an aspiring memoirist, as she learns and practices the art of writing memoir.
2024-2025 WOW! Q1 CNF ESSAY CONTEST FINALIST. “Come with me young lady,” Dad said as he grabbed my arm and steered me down the hall. He entered the guest bathroom, pulled me in, and closed the door. “You will not talk to me like that!” he scolded. As we stood in a room barely big […]
The Memory That Haunts Me Read More »
Originally published in Chicken Soup for the Soul: Miracles, Angels & Messages From Heaven. Four months before Dad passed away, I went to San Diego to visit him. He was eighty-nine, his health was declining, and I wanted to spend time with him before it was too late. One afternoon, when Dad and I were
2023 WOW Women on Writing CNF Essay Competition Finalist. As I peer inside the doors of Mom’s vanity, I see two shelves lined with plastic storage baskets, each filled with lotions, face creams, and makeup. Mom’s extras. A supply of personal care products that have outlasted her time in this house and will likely outlive
This story was originally published on The ManifestStation. Across the river, I catch a glimpse of High Falls peeking through the trees, all one-hundred-and-fifty magnificent feet of her. White water cascades down her granite face before crashing into the pool at her feet. The water settles as it makes its way downstream to meet up
Hiking with Sugar Face Read More »
Maybe it would help me hang on to a little piece of him. Despite the sun playing peek-a-boo with the clouds all afternoon, it was hot for early June in the mountains. With the thermometer pushing eighty degrees, and the humidity not far behind, it wasn’t ideal gardening weather. But I felt called to plant—well,
Why I Planted a Garden for Dad After He Died Read More »
Why I didn’t follow the “gold standard of treatment”–TPLO surgery–for my dog’s torn CCL, and how she’s doing despite going against the vet’s recommendations. “Uh-oh,” my husband said, as Faith came in from her morning potty break. “What?” I replied. “She’s limping, again,” he said. We’d only been home one week from a trip to
I Decided Against Surgery for My Dog’s Torn CCL Read More »
What I learned from a dog who was a whole lot smarter than me. I got my first dog as an adult in the summer of 1988. I was twenty-six years old and my husband and I had just purchased our first house. It was a tiny, 700-square-foot bungalow on an oversized lot — a lot so
What a Little Rescue Pup Taught Me About Pet Parenting, Life, and Love Read More »
The small but mighty pioneer who inspired me to start my own business This story was originally written and published in Age of Empathy on Medium, in response to a writing prompt: Women Who Inspire, in honor of International Women’s Day, March 8, 2023. I don’t know much about her life before I knew her. From
Women Who Inspire: She Was Only Five Foot Two but She Was a Force Read More »
This essay was written, and originally published, in response to a writing prompt in The Memoirist on Medium.com. The prompt was: Madness (in honor of March Madness). I’m not sure when it started. I believe I can trace the earliest occurrence back to high school. Dad was a teacher and A’s were expected. Maybe that’s
The Madness of Ambitious Overachievement Read More »
I walk downstairs and into the kitchen. My husband is sitting at the table with his laptop open and a big smile on his face. As I enter the room, he swings the computer around. A cherubic golden face fills the screen. “Oh my God,” I say. “It’s Hope!” My husband looks at me, puzzled.
I Found Hope on the Internet. She’s been my refuge ever since. Read More »