Karen, seeking a new life, had fled from her family and friends to Kyoto, Japan.  She fell into equally bad relationships in the expat community. I have tried to explain her process of separating from me.  She joined a potter’s commune on the island of Shikoku where she eventuality became a renowned potter. One day,… Read More

“You will always be friends” the counselor told us.  We were too entwined and besides, she had seen it repeatedly in the women’s community, a fluidity of friends and lovers staying connected despite everything.  I said nothing but promised myself, “Oh no, we won’t”. Read More

It is said that a predictor of happiness and longevity as we age is maintaining strong friendships. Read More

  Friendship, a bond that weaves through the tapestry of human existence, is a source of solace, support, and shared experiences. It’s a symphony of shared laughter, whispered secrets, and unspoken understandings. However, like any intricate creation, friendship can unravel, leaving behind a tangled web of emotions and unanswered questions. The dissolution of a friendship,… Read More

The Gs Louise and I were both living in the women’s graduate dorm at Columbia in the 1960s while I was in library school and she in the social work program,  and we soon became fast friends. Within a few years after grad school we each married,  happily our new husbands hit it off,  and… Read More

  Our veterans are some of the most special people in our world. They have sacrificed so much for our freedom and security. On Veterans Day, let’s take a moment to thank them for their service and to celebrate their humor, resilience, and strength. Here are a few humorous and appreciative thoughts about our veterans:… Read More

Captain Born in a small town in New York’s Catskill Mountains,  my father remembered dancing around a bonfire as a six-year-old to celebrate the 1918 armistice. Two decades later when the US entered WWII he enlisted in the Army as a newly minted physician.   Assigned to the Charleston,  SC  Port of Embarkation,  he was… Read More

My father joined the Army Air Corps in January, 1941, a full 11 months BEFORE Pearl Harbor. There was no separate Air Force at this time, it was still a division of the Army. He longed to be part of something bigger than himself. He had worked for the Chevrolet division of General Motors since… Read More

Veterans were synonymous with WWII when I was a child, the good war against the unimaginably evil Hitler but also the horror of the atom bomb.  I don’t think I was the only one who wished for “world peace” when I blew out birthday candles or participated in student United Nations. Read More

Occasionally I learn that they are dead. Read More