Author Archives: aamontgomery

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About aamontgomery

Seeing new possibilities in everyday things

Daddy’s Last Vote

When I was a child in the early 1960s, my world was a fog of (1) trying to figure out the inexplicable behavior of the adults around me, (2) hoping to discern what they wanted me to do, and (3) … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Childhood, Courage, Family, Freedom, Knoxville, Op/Ed Thoughts, Tribute | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

The Difference Between Good and Evil

How can you not help, if a child asks? Someone who does not know the difference between good and evil is worth nothing. In fact, such a person belongs in a mental institution. —Mieczysław Kasprzyk, a Polish farmer who risked his … Continue reading

Posted in Childhood, Family, Happiness, Ideas, Op/Ed Thoughts, Uncategorized, Women | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

My Winking Valentine

Yesterday I went to see Daddy who was sitting in the chair of his transitional care unit (TCU) room at the hospital. TCU, yes, but not the university located in Ft. Worth, Texas. With his brand new hip and Mama … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Beauty, Courage, Dementia, Family, Happiness, Love, Music | Tagged , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I Will Remember

  A week ago, my sister Lisa called me and said our father had fallen on his way into his senior living facility after she and Mama had taken him outside. She said he crumpled, as if in slow motion, … Continue reading

Posted in Alzheimer's, Autobiographical, Bruce Springsteen, Childhood, Courage, Family, Happiness, Love | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Living in a Self-Help Storage Facility

A month or so ago, my father’s senior living facility scheduled a family members meeting. Although Daddy–due to his dementia–is in the memory care “retreat” area, the meeting also included family members from the assisted living side of the facility. Facilitated … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Courage, Family, Knoxville, Love | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Much Ado About Laura and Tom Parkhill

On Saturday, April 23, my photographer husband Kurt and I were ever-so-fortunate to capture love at its most rapturous when our friend Tom Parkhill married the love of his life, Laura Regis. Yes, gentle blog readers, you heard me right: … Continue reading

Posted in Blooming, Childhood, Creativity, Happiness, Joy (Joie de General), Knoxville, Stage, The Arts, Uncategorized, Wonder, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Our Corner That Keeps Flapping Around

Nearly twenty years ago, my father Roy Allen retired at the age of 62. Daddy’s passions were (1) his family (especially his fellow sports maniac, his grandson Justin), (2) Lady Vol basketball, (3) New York Yankees baseball, and (4) traveling … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Courage, Family, Happiness, Joy (Joie de General), Love, Tribute, Wonder, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

I’m a Dancing Girl

I have always been drawn to people and communities who dance. My theory is that when a culture loses its dancing–as a community–it loses its vitality, passion, and reason for living, what the French call raison d’être. Conversely when a … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Bruce Springsteen, Creativity, Dance, Happiness, Joy (Joie de General), Love, Music | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Work is a Kind of Love

~ wrote Marilyn Monroe in her recently discovered journal While watching the HBO documentary “Love, Marilyn”, my husband Kurt and I were surprised to hear the depth of the intelligence and insight found in Marilyn Monroe’s private thoughts as she … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Happiness, Ideas, Love, Photography, Screen, Tribute, Work | Leave a comment

Grace’s Son, Tom Parkhill

When I was growing up in East Tennessee just across the river from downtown in South Knoxville, I went to school with a rather extraordinary guy named Tom Parkhill. Our parents were friends so we would occasionally go over to … Continue reading

Posted in Autobiographical, Courage, Family, Friends, Happiness, Knoxville, Love, Stage, Tribute, Women, Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments