Author: Iris Ruth Pastor

It was certainly a bad week. Not just for me, but for my poor mouth.Massive infectionFractured tooth needing to be extracted in pieces (OUCH!)A complicated root canal procedureAnd lots of ice packs I was away from my husband.I was bouncing between two of my adult kids’ houses. I was in a lot of unremitting physical pain.I Continue reading

The paradox of our time in history is that we have taller buildings, butshorter tempers; wider freeways, but narrower viewpoints; we spend more,but have less; we buy more, but enjoy it less. We have bigger houses and smaller families; more conveniences, but lesstime; we have more degrees, but less sense; more knowledge, but lessjudgment; more experts, but Continue reading

Her name is Nicole, she is 40 years-old and I met her at a Dress for Success luncheon where my son Sam was getting an award. In between food courses and short speeches, we chatted.   Nicole was an “army brat” whose father was in the military. The family moved constantly until Nicole was a sophomore Continue reading

It was the first thing I saw when I walked into my kitchen early that morning.  Alone on the kitchen counter, a notebook-sized piece of paper caught my eye. It was an informal, hastily drawn chart I had made for myself the evening before so I could remember to take my newly prescribed meds for Continue reading

If you’re like every other female past the age of four on this planet, you’ve run into a friendship dilemma or two in your life. It happens to all of us because female friendship can be fraught with twists and turns that can be very tricky to navigate! Although we’ve all had to face friendship Continue reading

I know there are certain things I’m not rational about and one of them is my husband playing baseball. It all started when we were dating. He was playing baseball after work. I was spending quality time with my two young sons after work.  I never got to see him play baseball.  After we got married, Continue reading

Are you a risk taker? A risk taker is defined as someone who is bold, decisive, confident, courageous, creative, innovative and comfortable with uncertainty. I don’t know if I am a risk taker. I think I am more likely to be defined as someone who doesn’t think things through thoroughly, leaps before she ponders and does what Continue reading

Like most of my friends and family members, I do a lot less shopping in person and a lot more ordering stuff online these days. Amazon is my go-to. I simply ADORE the “free shipping.” Of course, dabbling on and off in handcrafted items myself, I am also a big fan of ETSY. There “free Continue reading

I never cried the entire time I was in Poland.I expected to, but I didn’t.   My tears didn’t start until we landed back in the States – after checking into a sterile Marriott Hotel room sandwiched between other non-descript hotels and the JFK airport.  I realized I was over tired. I realized I was sick with Continue reading

My brother-in-law worked for Smithfield Foods and spent his entire career while there traveling back and forth to Poland – working with the livestock farmers to increase production of pigs. It was his dream to take my husband and I, his wife (my sister) and two close couple friends back to Poland after his retirement. Continue reading