FRAMES

One of my all-time favorite books is Bird by Bird by Anne Lamott. The book is subtitled "Some Instructions on Writing and Life," and she offers excellent advice on both.

In explaining one aspect of her writing process, Anne Lamott says she has a small picture frame next to her computer when she writes. The frame is there to remind her that she doesn't have to write a whole book at once; she just has to write enough to fill the picture frame. Once that frame is full, she moves on to the next frame.

Her idea prompted me to try out a writing experiment I called "frames." My goals in creating each frame were to:

• clearly describe an event I shared with someone I love.

• capture the feeling of the event.

• share a fundamental truth about said loved one.

• make the writing short enough to fit in a picture frame.

I wrote these frames in 2000. While a lot has happened in the last 20 years, I feel these frames share fundamental truths about my brothers, my sister, and my wife that remain today.

Pete

It was Pete and Kathy’s wedding. We were in a meadow in the mountains outside of Flagstaff, Arizona. The sky was a deep blue, the tall

Rob

We were skiing at Winter Park, Colorado. It was late afternoon, and I had called it a day. I was sitting at a table on the sun deck. The

Leslie

It was our first night at Leslie’s new house. As we looked out of the glass sliding door, a possum waddled by. I had been trained to look

Tom

My older brother Tom and his family were coming into town for Christmas. Tom arrived first because he had been on the road, working as a

Audree

I was lying on the couch in Audree’s apartment, staring at the ceiling. I was alone, and I began to think (which often leads to