The Show Ups
People often ask, "What holds your family together when so many others drift apart?"
Walking Grace to Grace
Dawn arrives with blue on gray
The quiet moves in whispered exit
Sun rises in orange to pink
Surprise of yellow breaks out
Is Cursive Making a Comeback?
Is cursive obsolete? Has the need for keyboard practice and digital literacy supplanted the teaching of cursive writing? Not so fast. Cursive writing is making a comeback.
Where Ya’ From?
Oh, the richness and diversity of people. Culture, tradition, religion, and physical appearance are all stirred into the melting pot of our country, “from sea to shining sea.”
That Age-Old Feeling
Occasionally, I have witnessed younger people poking fun at a parent or older person because they did not know about something that was apparent to them. The comments were likely meant to be funny, not malicious, but I wondered if the recipient felt hurt or embarrassed.
250 Years Through Fifth-Grade Eyes
This past school semester, I volunteered in a fifth-grade classroom. I listened to the teacher tell the story of the Boston Tea Party. I heard words like Intolerable Acts, Sugar Act, and Taxation without Representation,
Star Spangled Memories
As our nation prepares for the 250th anniversary of its founding, I am reminded of the simple ways we celebrated this holiday in summer’s past. School was out, dads were home from work, and children filled my New York City street.
What’s For Dinner?
"The biggest challenge is, for me, figuring out what to cook for dinner. Nightly, you know, just night after night. What is it gonna be tonight? ... I did that last night. That's the hardest thing right there.” Aretha Franklin
That Gut Feeling
Have you ever sensed that something just wasn’t right with a tightness in your chest?
Old-Fashioned Letters
Do you still write letters? Fold them neatly into an envelope, put a stamp in the corner, address, and mail?
Do Your Children Know Your Passwords?
Have you ever known a family left in the dark after a beloved parent has passed away? I don't mean the darkness of grief; I mean the bleak feeling of helplessness that overcomes the children when no one knows what Mom or Dad’s wishes were.
The Bees Knees
Do your knees make noises when going up steps? Do you devise a game plan for sitting down? Does it take a village to hoist you up from a chair? If so, you may need a new knee.
The Beauty Project
I’m not talking about Grace Kelly beauty or about getting a hair and make-up makeover, but a very different kind of beauty. Life isn’t always pretty. Every day we are bombarded with images that are dark, depressing, bleak and ugly. It seems that ugliness is slowly taking over our lives. So, years ago, my sister and I decided to take a photo of just anything we found particularly beautiful during our hectic day, and then text each other our ‘beauty’ photo at the end of the day.
My Dad’s Slippers
After Dad died, my mom felt it was important to give each of her ten children a little something that belonged to him. My parents spent their lives raising children, working hard, and enjoying grandchildren and retirement.
I Only Know
Don’t mistake the beginning for the end,
the guardian for your keeper,
or the apogee for the soothing beauty of the trek.
