Author: Iris Ruth Pastor

Remember the song “With A Little Help From My Friends” by The Beatles? That could be my tagline. How could I possibly get through life without the advice, guidance and ongoing suggestions from my buddies? They have proven not only highly helpful, but, in some cases, truly life altering. Because. . . Dealing with massive bags Continue reading

Sometimes something appears in an unexpected place that I absolutely must pass along. The unexpected place was a posting on “next door.”Below is the unexpected copy. A strange old lady has moved into my house. I have no idea who she is, where she came from, or how she got in. I certainly did not Continue reading

There isn’t a woman I know who hasn’t had to navigate through some pretty tough terrain at various times in her life. My life has had joyous surprises, daunting challenges and lots of twists and turns in between. Ups and downs don’t have to define us – or stop us from living the life we Continue reading

The vehicle: Ancestry.comThe initiator: My second cousin JackThe recipient: MeThe outcome: When we realized we lived only four hours from each other, we arranged for an overnight visit.  Jack and I literally spent 12 hours talking non-stop from 2pm until 2am. Jack, like me, is VERY verbal.  I learned about his marriages and children (multiple).I learned Continue reading

Every week has 168 hours. Theoretically:      If you sleep away 56 of them     If you work 40 of them     That accounts for 96 of them This leaves 72 hours each week to do with them what you so desire.Meaning: If you really want to do something, you’ll find time to do it sometime within Continue reading

My husband was reading in the living room. I was sprawled out on the family room couch watching the 81st annual “Golden Globe” awards highlighting individual stellar performances and work in both television and film in 2023. I started shrieking. My husband quickly ran in to see what was wrong.  “Look, look,” I excitedly pointed Continue reading

Four days ago, on January 1, we slid into home plate on the tails of the old year, 2023. In baseball lingo, I liken the first day of any new year to Opening Day of baseball season. No one would argue with the statement that 2023 was a challenging year and that those challenges will, Continue reading

To my dear sister, Lori, This week’s column is devoted to giving you advice to start off the New Year – which I am SURE you are so very anxious to hear. Being ten years younger, you’re probably quite sick of not only my advice, but gleaning wisdom from the host of experiences I have had Continue reading

How many times do we ask ourselves this question:Where did the time go? One of my sons sent me an early morning  text a few days ago asking that same question – prompted by the reality that that particular day his oldest child turned 17. I shared his disbelief. In our modern world, we have the Continue reading

I had an experience over Thanksgiving weekend that I’ve never had before. I had an opportunity to see a Broadway show before its official opening at the Belasco Theater in Manhattan.  The show was How To Dance In Ohio, a musical based on the Peabody Award-winning documentary of the same name that can, at present, be Continue reading