Debbie’s Charm Bracelet
An M
The M stands for
Murphy. It was my
mother’s maiden
name. And, as it turns
out, Debbie’s too.
This charm calls to
mind the moment I
learned that Debbie
was not just my cous-
in by marriage—until
recently, we’d thought
she was my uncle’s
stepchild—but my bi-
ological cousin as
well. We were close
as kids and used
to pretend to be “real”
cousins. What a bles-
sing to find out that
we actually were!A Hammer
Debbie’s husband,
Earle, has always
been extremely re-
sourceful. Anything
he can take apart
HUKÄ_OLKVLZ0[»Z
an ability that has
saved him and the
family oodles of
money over the
years. And Earle
has passed on that
same can-do spirit
to their daughters,
Gretchen and Sarah.A Grand Piano
6UOLYÄYZ[KH[L^P[O
her future husband,
Debbie played “Heart
and Soul” with one
hand on the old grand
piano at his home.
“Do you play?” she
asked Earle. “A little,”
he said, proceeding
to woo Debbie with a
Liberace-like rendi-
tion of the song. She
always said that was
the moment Earle
won her heart.One of the most moving experiences of my life was recon-
necting with my cousin Debbie Windenburg a few years ago.
I wrote about our amazing reunion in the December/January 2019
Mysterious Ways story “Share a Coke With...”
Debbie has led a wonderful life as a wife and stay-at-home
mom in Cleveland, Ohio. But recently, after sharing some
stories from my long career as a nurse, I sensed that she felt as if
she’d missed out on something. She seemed kind of down.16 GUIDEPOSTS.ORG
ILLUSTRATION^ BY^ JESSICA^ ALLEN