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Vivace Vilnius Music Festival: Honoring Ukraine

Vilnius is more than sympathetic to the challenges and vicissitudes that Ukraine has been living ...

Vivace Vilnius Music Festival brings delight to all

Any music festival is much more than the concerts that are performed during its duration. ...

More than 15 miles on the Erie Canal

I gazed at the sea of pup tents and took a deep breath. One of ...

August 4 Solo performance with Jonathan Bass

I t is never simply the technical prowess which draws us to a performer. Is ...

Dynamic Concert by Masters at Vivace Vilnius Festival

  It is one thing to know you’re in for a great concert, and it’s ...

Stirring Concert at Samuel Bak Museum At Vivace Vilnius Festival

The August 3rd concert of Vivace Vilnius was a testament to the strength of the ...

My dad’s legacy

Among the greatest gifts from my dad was the certainty that no argument between us ...

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, ...

Let them eat cake!!

As I was pulling out my battered Rosie's Bakery book to make a cake for ...

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 ...
Conductor

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 ...

Portrait in Portsmouth

In 2020 I bid on a portrait at an auction for The Healing Garden, an ...

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 ...

A Shot in the Dark

It hadn’t occurred to me that I was eligible for the covid 19 vaccine until ...

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 ...
Meg Stafford

Toward a new equilibrium (from May 2020)

I had always tested squarely in the E column between Extrovert and Introvert. I was ...

Remembering Race

My daughter told me of a group with which she was studying the words of ...

Birthday in a covid-19 world

We celebrated our daughter Gale's 30th birthday today.  It was not what we had planned ...

Connected we rise

If ever there has been any doubt that we are all connected, the events of ...

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 ...
Green sweatshirt

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 ...

Appreciating August

If August as a whole is the Sunday of the year, then having a birthday ...

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 ...

Keeping the beat with Dad

My dad was introduced to jazz when he was 23 and needed a job while ...

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 ...

Another day in paradise

If you had told me a month ago that I would dump my beloved WRX ...

A nod to the nap

Summer is THE time to hone one’s skill in the Department of Nap. I have ...

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 ...

Driving for Distraction

I have always loved to drive. I grew up learning on VW Bugs and Toyota ...

To Nepal With Love

The recent earthquakes in Nepal have shaken us all. Whenever there is a natural disaster ...

A Mutter’s Day Tail

My husband and I have lived with dogs for 27 years together and both of ...

Double Cat Indemnity

I have begun to write this column dozens of times. Usually once I have a ...

To Pill a Mocking Cat

If you live with a cat, especially an older one, you may know that the ...

And in the end…

My father in law died a few weeks ago. It was not a surprise, as ...

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 ...

Nothing but a dog

At 18 years of age, it is not a tragedy that our dear dog has ...

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 ...

Old dog, new tricks for us

  It was the message no one wants to receive while on vacation. We had ...

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, ...

A Rare Friend Indeed

“I will need to take you to every house in the village!” my daughter Gale ...

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 ...

Insistence on Peace

These people are heroes. It is not what they set out to be, or how ...

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, ...

To Colombia with Love

I have long known that fear can worm its way into an equation, stopping a ...

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 ...

Conversations with Gravitas

The email came with a file attached and I was sure that it was a ...

The Pool Frog and Other Late Summer Perils

  People do not typically consider frogs to be wily animals, but I am here ...

Zumba With a Twist

I arrived at class a few minutes before the start time as I always do, ...

To Grin and Bear It

I arrived home from work at 3:30, and knew that I had a half hour ...

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 ...

All About a Snapper

Who’s Your Snappy?   I was on mile 15 of my 20 mile bike loop, ...

Catupuncture

I stared at our beautiful 22 pound Bobcat, lying on the vet’s table with ten ...

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 ...

Beginning the Trek

After over 24 hours of travel, the words of my colleague could not have been ...

BEEP BEEP!!

That would be the sound of me tooting my horn about my latest book shenanigans. ...

Absorbing the Trip Experience

Three weeks. It doesn’t sound like such a long time. Two little words. What’s the ...

Book News!!

My book, which came out almost exactly a year ago, placed first in the category ...

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, ...

Column about summer

    Many summers we spend a week in Acadia National Park in platform tents, ...

Talk from the Book Event

Thank you, to Willow Books, for hosting my event, for being willing to take a ...

Kindle, Baby!

Book available on Kindle as of today. Will be available on Nook any minute now!!! ...

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 ...

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About Meg

Meg is a licensed independent clinical social worker with over thirty-five years clinical experience. She holds a Master’s Degree from the Boston University School of Social Work and a Bachelor of Arts from the State University of New York at Binghamton.

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