Kith & Kin

NOTE:  This post deals with the topics of rape, murder, and suicide, so please use discretion in deciding whether you want to read on. If you struggle with thoughts of depression and/or self-harm, as most of us have (myself included), please call t he National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 988 and get the help you need— even if you feel like it won ’ t make a difference. It will. According to statistics available today , if you live in Wayne County, Ohio, your chances of being assaulted in any particular year are quite low—it happens to only 0.078 out of 100 residents. Your chances of being kidnapped are even lower: just 0.027 per 100 residents annually. And your chances of being murdered are almost infinitesimal: a mere 0.002 for every 100 residents. In fact, Wayne County, Ohio, is a less dangerous county to live in than three-quarters of all other counties nationwide. Data is also available for the frequency of crimes in particular Wayne County towns. For example, my tiny hom...

Great-Aunt Lois and Grandma Leta were one of two sets of twins in their class (on the left above). I do not know who the other twins are. Grandma Swartz was a warm, loving person with a great sense of humor. She was exactly what a grandmother should be—interested in your life, full of wise counsel, a terrific cook, and a pleasingly plump hugger. She was my mom’s mom, and her full name was Leta Elizabeth Green Swartz. I wonder where her parents got the idea to name her “Leta”—it’s not a very common name. Grandma’s fraternal twin sister was Lois Parker. I barely knew Great-Aunt Lois because she and Great-Uncle Lloyd lived “Out West” all my life. But I was often told how different Leta and Lois were. Lois was what we called “a corker.” Blunt, profane, a smoker, masculine in her manner, and not in the least bound by propriety. I’ll bet her parents went through times of despair during her growing-up years. My mom told the story of visiting Lois and Lloyd one time before I was...