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
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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
The Exhausting Saga of Trying to Remain Relevant in my Adult Sons’ Lives
Ok, no surprise. I have had a tough time letting my sons venture out on their own. Though that certainly never stopped them. Again, no surprise. I am also prone to negative ruminations over the fact that my sons – now flown and grown – seem to need me so little. And to go even Continue reading
Give up my Bad-Ass Jeans on my Plump-Ass Body? No Way.
I admit it. I’m a blue jeans junkie. Blue jeans have been a staple of my wardrobe since before I got pregnant with the oldest of my five sons in 1969. Whether fat, thin, round with child, or puffy with post-delivery pounds – jeans were my go-to wardrobe staple. Most of the time, I probably Continue reading