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Creating space for Mother’s Day
There, in a plain manilla envelope, I find a sheath of eight by ten ...
From Motherhood Moment Blog: Book Nook
As she shares her family's experiences, Stafford reveals how the act of traveling with loved ...
Student highlights the importance of cultural exchange
Sixteen year old Maria Qaiser is the definition of why exchange students are important. Hailing ...
Still nourished from concert at breath taking new venue
Even knowing in advance that the Concert Hall at Groton Hill Music would be amazing, ...
Engaged in the Rage Cage
The chaos coordinator greeted us as we entered the store, pointing out the shelves ...
Concert to support Vivace Vilnius Music Festival
Passion and vision are a powerful combination. Add the talent of the dynamic Egle Jarkova, ...
Depth of Delight in New Venue
To say that the new venue at Groton Hill takes your breath away is ...
Diversity in wedding styles enhances their beauty
Last month I had the pleasure and honor of attending two weddings, just after Labor ...
Making the Swytch. When is it time?
As my friends and I labored up an interminable and extremely steep hill (think: ...
Inner workings with my editor
My developmental editor and I had been working together for a while on my latest ...
It’s a Dog Meet Dog World
I received a call from our next door neighbor, Beth, when we were away the ...
Trio of Awards from International Book Awards
Thrilled that International Book Awards has recognized Who Will Accompany You? My Mother-Daughter Journeys Far ...
Have you Heard? Who Will Accompany You? now available as an audio book!
I am thrilled to announce that Who Will Accompany You? My Mother-Daughter Journeys Far ...
Inspired by the Magician and his Wand
My dad was principal oboist in the Hudson Valley Philharmonic, where I grew up. This ...
An inside look at teaching
From the beginning of the pandemic, I have felt that teachers and students, and seniors ...
New Book fun!!
Already An Amazon Best Seller! My new book, Who Will Accompany You: My Mother-Daughter Journeys ...
Article about my new book: Who Will Accompany You? My Mother-Daughter Journeys Far From Home and Close to the Heart
My new book came out a couple of months ago, and this article appeared last ...
Belated happy holidays
Our family celebrated Christmas last Friday, that would be Friday, January 7th. In the evening. ...
Pieces of Mom
My mom died about six weeks ago—immediately following my bike ride from Boston to New ...
New times for old friends
Our friends were married last month. Not the first rodeo for either one, both with ...
Honk if you’re trying out Craigslist
Perhaps listing a car is not the best way to begin a relationship with the ...
Unexpected pleasures in returning home
Growing up in the Hudson Valley, I was mildly aware of the extent and variety ...
The heart wants what it wants
Discussion wanted. This was the heading of the email from the social worker on the ...
Adventures in Truro
In the beginning of May my husband and I booked an airbnb in Truro, arriving ...
In Honor of Mother’s Day
It’s hard not to lapse into platitudes when talking about mothers. Most of us have ...
False starts with spring and easing of pandemic
There are more than a few parallels between spring in New England and our relationship ...
Is it really better to give than to receive?
With Valentine’s Day in the rearview mirror, the notion of giving and receiving lingers on ...
Widening the eye of the needle
After many false starts to retrieve my 93 year old mom from the small rural ...
Activating the covid net
When my 92 year old mother was diagnosed with covid 19, I reminded myself to ...
Unexpected learning in the wake of the election
I learned that the Biden/Harris ticket had won while driving and needed to pull over ...
Surprisingly in the pink
I had completely forgotten that Pinktober was approaching until a client (herself a rider of ...
Dogs teach themselves new tricks
When our daughter asked if anyone had acquired new skills or hobbies since the onset ...
Choices During Covid
In her interview with National Public Radio, Christina Koch remarked that one of the psychological ...
Toward a new equilibrium (from May 2020)
I had always tested squarely in the E column between Extrovert and Introvert. I was ...
Birthday in a covid-19 world
We celebrated our daughter Gale's 30th birthday today. It was not what we had planned ...
Greeting new Christmas traditions
Usually the one to embrace new traditions when necessary, I had been worried about Christmas ...
Redefining Lazy
According to Merriam Webster, lazy is defined as disinclined to activity or exertion; not energetic ...
Thank you, apple green sweatshirt!
It’s always a good thing to do a clothing review, and oust the items that ...
Sticks and Stones: What’s in a Name?
Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can cut to the quick. A ...
Ending the year with a Bang!
Their faces were a kaleidoscope of confusion, disbelief and then scarcely concealed mirth upon learning ...
Symphony of sounds delights more than the senses
My Juilliard trained dad was a concert oboist, and played with the Hudson Valley Philharmonic ...
Scuba Do: Not a canine story
As much as I love the water and swimming, I have always held reserve about ...
Learning new logic in the older person
Why are you talking logic to a crazy person? This question was intoned by my ...
Keeping Summer Afloat
What says summer more than a six foot T-Rex that delivers water through its nostrils? ...
The complicated scourge of plastic bags
Our town recently voted NOT to ban plastic bags as part of the check out ...
Learning from the tragedy of suicide
In the wake of the recent celebrity suicides, I have heard a number of people ...
A fashionable statement from the Glammas
They sashayed, they twirled and strutted, danced and curtsied their way down the runway. Sporting ...
That fighting spirit (among dogs)
Growing up in a family of two girls, we had some tussles, but by and ...
A welcome break from tradition
My brother-in-law and his fiancé planted a stake in the ground and announced that because ...
Planting seeds in Therapy
My last office was a long rectangle, with the entrance at the far end, and ...
Staying connected at 90
My soon-to-be 90 year old mom announced that her computer of several years was on ...
Puns upon a time
I finally found a venue that celebrates the pun in punchline. After reading Away With ...
Has the ubiquitous customer survey lost its meaning?
I have long been a proponent of feedback. Years before my training as an executive ...
The frosting on the cake
When I moved to Boston for graduate school 35 years ago, I landed just outside ...
Delights in Provence
Spending a week in Provence recently felt a bit like a homecoming. Although it has ...
The New world of feedback
I have long been a proponent of feedback. Years before my training as an executive ...
Panic and exhilaration at full gallop
I had been yearning to be back on a horse for years. Memories of my ...
New connection to an old friend
You think you know someone. Forty plus years of being friends, starting in college. Years ...
Heaven in Patagonia
After driving for four hours from El Calafate, Argentina through mile after mile of rolling ...
Reaching from afar
I did not plan to be away during the inauguration and following rallies and marches. ...
Delayed new year’s post…
In this time of New Year’s resolutions and personal industry, I am taking advantage of ...
Yoga on my mind…
Although I have practiced mindfulness for over thirty years, I have not instituted an active ...
An image of youthful daring nurtured
I knew before walking into the gallery that the images greeting me would be spectacular. ...
Columbus Day’s many meanings
My husband and I laughed last October when we learned that our daughter, who was ...
A new way to view Pinktober
I recently commented on an online status of an artist friend who stated that she ...
The Importance of tears
A client once told me that his mother intentionally kept him from attending his grandfather’s ...
Mammoth impact of documentary about elephants
One would have to be made of stone to not be moved by Sangita Iyer’s ...
Blown away by the Manta Ray
Off the coast of the big island of Hawaii, we don wet suits, snorkels and ...
When the chickens come a-callin’
Saturday was a day of unusual relationships. It started with a bridal shower at which ...
A Leprechaun’s Improvisation
On the evening of March 16th, when Kate was eight or nine, she greeted me ...
Loving the Leap Day possibilities
Why should frogs have all the fun? The concept of Leap Day has always captured ...
Indian Hill Orchestra shines in Lincoln’s Legacy
I grew up the daughter of a professional musician. My dad played principal oboe in ...
Valentine Presence
We moved our daughter into an apartment yesterday. She’s 25, and excited about this move, ...
Death is not convenient
Death is not convenient. It does not wait, tarry, ask permission, or discriminate against age, ...
A Friendly family game of fantasy football
I have never played Fantasy Football. I have enjoyed watching with my dad, or attending ...
The Complexities of Healing
When I asked my physical therapist what she feels are the most important elements in ...
What’s in a Lash?
Eyelashes are not the most important piece of equipment that we carry, but their featherweight ...
A Young Life Lost to Drugs
We had last seen Garrett about ten years ago. He was a big, strong boy ...
To Nepal With Love
The recent earthquakes in Nepal have shaken us all. Whenever there is a natural disaster ...
The human challenges of health care decisions
People say that physicians can play God. The same might be said of a health ...
The joy of leaf blowing
I don’t believe that my husband was intentionally keeping me away from our leaf blower. ...
Pinktober revisited
Usually around this time in October I have started my rant about the excess of ...
Not Standing on Ceremony
Weddings are always a reflection of the people starring in the ritual- large or small, ...
Launching of students and parents..
I had thought that the last two years would protect me from the feelings that ...
Tri-Umph at the Appleman Sprint Triathlon
I put in a request for an overcast day for the morning of the Appleman ...
Triathlon Prep Edges Closer to the Finish
I loved to run when I was a kid. Kim Hopper and I were the ...
Sprint Triathlon as a Newbie…
I signed up for my first Sprint Triathlon! The Appleman has been held in ...
The More Things Change….
I’m someone who likes change. I enjoy variety in my food, in my work outs, ...
Contradictions in Columbia; Where the Cows Really Do Come Home
It is many of the everyday things that we take completely for granted that are ...
Initial Thoughts Regarding Rural Colombia
First Thoughts About Colombia After a day in Medellin, a large city set into and ...
Got My Bag, I Got My Reservation
My husband remembers that the boots are to prevent snake bites. I recall that the ...
Slow or Fast: Which is Better?
“You’re not late! You don’t need to run...or is that just a burst of energy?” ...
Defining Colombia
We learned more about where, exactly, in Colombia our 23 year old daughter Gale is, ...
A New York State of Mind
It is all about expectation, whether it is a medical procedure, a holiday dinner, or ...
Living in a Material World
I reached into my bag to grab my wallet and pay for the food supplement ...
Fifty Shades of Pink
It’s that time of year again. It has nothing to do with leaves, and nothing ...
The Pool Frog and Other Late Summer Perils
People do not typically consider frogs to be wily animals, but I am here ...
Understanding Moral Injury
Suicide among veterans now outpaces combat death. This stunning fact is something to be taken ...
The Eye of the Storm
I was attending a meeting at The Healing Garden the other week when people’s phones ...
Stellar Fourth of July Reflections..
It had been some years since we were able to view fireworks in person, and ...
The Dance of Discovery
I attended a dance performance last Friday. Nothing particularly unusual about that. Our family has ...
Here’s to the transition of graduation!!
I love transitions. I find them fascinating: it is a time in people’s lives when ...
The Accidental Alpha
Daphne had always been our shy cat. We called her Nil, a shortened version of ...
Reflections on Relay for Life
I have become accustomed to the enthusiasm that surrounds and buoys the Relay for Life ...
You go, Angelina!
I am appreciating the bold move by Angelina Jolie to go public with her medical ...
Suspense in the Mountains
I breathed deeply as I slowly rotated, taking in the depth of the valley tucked ...
Sometimes Nine Isn’t Enough
I pulled up to the unfamiliar building and blew out a sigh. Although I understood ...
Definitely Not Catatonic
We have discovered the reason that there is not an adage about whether or not ...
Taking the Leap…
“Letting go” is a concept that takes different forms for different people or even for ...
Meeting at the Corner of Zumba and Main
Anyone who worries that Facebook will replace in-person interaction has not visited a Zumba class ...
The Next Adventure
It was just about this time last year that our 17 year old daughter announced ...
Pumped for my Interview!
There is a lot to learn about prepping for your first TV interview, from what ...
The evolution of Thanksgiving traditions
By the time this hits print, Thanksgiving will seem like a distant tide, swept out ...
Magical Moostery Tour
It has long been my desire to see moose in the wild. These gangly, majestic ...
Hail to the Caregivers
In this month of particularly pink preference I would like to take a moment to ...
Life at the Seams
We have long known that there is a certain openness at times of transition. As ...
Love Speaks Loudly at Any Age
What does one expect regarding a wedding? We all have preconceptions that we don’t even ...
My Romp Through Book Expo
I attended Book ExpoAmericafor the first time last month. It is the largest such expo ...
In Praise of Entrepreneurs
I learned at the end of May that my book was a finalist for Independent ...
Absorbing the Trip Experience
Three weeks. It doesn’t sound like such a long time. Two little words. What’s the ...
Didn’t See This Coming, Either
Some of you may recall my surprise a few months ago when my 17 year ...
New Year’s Revolution
New Year’s Revolution We are past the short answer to “How were your holidays?” The ...
Didn’t See THAT Coming
Last week Kate (almost 17) and I were hanging around the kitchen after school and ...
What IS in a Name?
What IS in a name? It’s an oft asked question. We have long stopped believing ...
The Hunt for (non)Pink October
The Hunt for (non)Pink October They may have had difficulty finding Red October, but these ...
Hair in the post-treatment world
Down to There, HAIR Give me a head with hair, long beautiful hair Shining, gleaming, ...
Talk from the Book Event
Thank you, to Willow Books, for hosting my event, for being willing to take a ...
words from Friedrich Nietzsche
Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; ...
Play the Ball Where the Monkey Drops It
In the process of building a golf course in Calcutta, they discovered that monkeys were ...