One Friday in early October 2019, I was sitting in my office near the University of Virginia when my sister Missy called. “Have you seen an email from Joe?” Well, no, I was working, or at least I was sitting at my desk talking…not checking my personal email. “Look now,” she said. “I’ll call youContinue reading “27. I Place My Hope on the Water”
Author Archives: Kate Reilly Brinkley
26. A Peace that Surpasses All Understanding
Rita Ann Reilly LeBlanc October 21, 1963 ~ February 5, 2014 This is the eulogy I gave for my niece Rita who died when she was 50. As it turned out, there was another chapter to Rita’s life that had yet to be written. That post will be coming shortly, but for now, I’d likeContinue reading “26. A Peace that Surpasses All Understanding”
25. As Bright and Brief as Sparks on a Chimney Wall
After my sister Maureen moved to San Francisco with her boyfriend Billy in 1965, my father took her a single lens reflex camera and a few rolls of film. Maureen had already had her first son Seamus, and Matt was on the way. Once she picked up that camera, it seemed she never put itContinue reading “25. As Bright and Brief as Sparks on a Chimney Wall”
24. An Abundance of Marjories
…or how legal, safe abortion might have changed my life When my mother was nine months old, her mother died of what was then called “blood poisoning.” It wasn’t until I was seventeen and Roe v. Wade was decided that my mother told me her mother had died from an infection brought on by anContinue reading “24. An Abundance of Marjories”
23. Every Dog Must Have His Day
When Mom gave birth to my brother Dennis at Georgetown Hospital, Dad ran all the way up 37th Street to tell Connie, their two-year old Scottie. Connie was named after the baseball player, Cornelius McGillicuddy, better known as Connie Mack, who had played for the Washington Nationals in the late 1800s and was a managerContinue reading “23. Every Dog Must Have His Day”
22. Nuts from the Same Tree
My sister Missy has always been the gold standard for beauty in our family. Even today, nearly eighty, she is a beautiful woman. Carrying the same genes as Missy could be difficult for Maureen and me. We were always comparing ourselves to her and feeling as though we came up short. With her hair perfectlyContinue reading “22. Nuts from the Same Tree”
21. Things that go bump in the night
Whenever a thunderstorm came to our little patch of earth, my mother gathered up her little ones. We would run upstairs to the sleeping porch at the back of the second floor to watch the sky. Every time we saw lightning tear across the sky, she’d say, Okay, start counting. Here it comes! Several secondsContinue reading “21. Things that go bump in the night”
20. When John met Kate again, or Part 2
When John left for college in Boston, our lives went in different directions although we both ended up in Washington. John gave up his musical aspirations after Berklee and went into the family business: journalism. I studied poetry at the University of Maryland, fully intending to live out my days in a garret. Hungry, IContinue reading “20. When John met Kate again, or Part 2”
19. All Roads Lead to Pittsburgh
Last month we went to Pittsburgh to visit my stepdaughter Katie and her husband Dave. They moved to the ‘Burgh during the pandemic, and we hadn’t seen them for more than a year. It was a sweet reunion with lots of smiles and happy discoveries. We loved seeing their new home and walking through theContinue reading “19. All Roads Lead to Pittsburgh”
18. If this isn’t nice, what is?
For Mother’s Day our family received the perfect gift. Our daughter Maeve, with the help of her husband Bo, gave birth to a beautiful baby boy. I think we’re evolutionarily disposed to think our children — and grandchildren — are the most amazing little beings to touch down on earth, but this one really is.Continue reading “18. If this isn’t nice, what is?”
Life of Reillys 