One of my sons called me last week – on his way home from work. We had a nice, substantive, fifteen-minute conversation. This is pretty much what we do now that he is married, a father, has a job with big responsibilities and a long daily commute. The next night my phone rang. I glanced at Continue reading
aging advice
Ten Ways to Stay Happily Married
After the wedding bells stop chiming, how do you sustain the marital magic? After 39 years of being married to the same man, I’ve got a few ideas on keeping the spark burning and the affection flowing toward – not away from – each other. 1. When you get home at night, greet each other Continue reading
What It Took Me 68 Years To Do: Riding the Rails All By Myself
I am not a native New Yorker. In fact, I have never even lived in “The City” for any extended amount of time, though I visit often. I hear horror stories centering on confusion about what bus goes where, the need for exact change in quarters and the intricacy of figuring out bus schedules. So, Continue reading
How to Survive Your Husband’s Hospital Stay
When my husband goes back to the hospital for another ten hour back surgery, as my son Sam wryly notes, “It’s not our first rodeo.” We know what to expect. My job is to be my husband’s advocate. To keep him as comfortable as possible. Allay his pain, fear, and anxiety – as best I Continue reading
Lessons Learned From a Less Than Fully Functional Dog
When our fourth son, Sam, unexpectedly brought home a lab puppy I was less than overjoyed. He assured me she was house trained; I then watched in horror as she took a major dump on the family room sisal rug. I was furious. That was three years ago and she’s still with us, though not Continue reading
When Tragedy Strikes, One Way to Help a Friend
When my son hears the news by text, he drops his phone in disbelief. When my mom hears the news from a casual acquaintance, sobs burst forth from her throat. When I hear the news by phone from my son, I collapse in a heap on the floor and begin to weep. What do you Continue reading
Making an Ordinary Day Extraordinary
I never knew him, but he has impacted my life consistently over the last 25 years. He was born in 1862 and died long before I came screaming into the world on a hot summer August morning in 1947. At 29 years of age, with just $32.00 in his pocket, he went to Chicago with Continue reading
Am I Really Too Old to do Cartwheels?
When I was about 3, my mom enrolled me in dance class. At ballet, I was graceless. At tap, I was rhythm challenged. But at acrobatics, I excelled. It wasn’t long until I was doing handstands, somersaults, back bends and cartwheels all over the place. By age 8, I had a routine down pat. One Continue reading
Laboring to Shatter Entitlement Mind-Set
It’s flu season and the lack of available vaccines is raising concerns, especially among the elderly and those people in the category of “high risk.” Influenza is not joke, but there is another bug flitting around that is just as insidious to our well being. Affluenza – the term grabs my attention as soon as Continue reading
When the Nest Empties, Break-Out Too
In my car, the back seats are empty. In my house, all the beds are neatly made. The pantry shelves no longer hold bags of chips or containers of salsa and the cartons of soda pop stacked up in the garage remain unopened. Summer is sputtering to a close. It’s almost September and all across Continue reading
