Suprise Me

I needed something more reliable. My hours were irregular, public transportation spotty, and I lived too far from the hospital to walk.  And it rained and snowed.  Any car that ran would do. That, plus my general ambivalence, is probably why my first car was such a clunker. Read More

So I am thinking… I need to look at everything in this house that holds 31 years of marriage and two grown children’s archives, and ask this 51 year old almost single self what do you need? Which books of 5 full book cases do you have to have near you? Which wall hanging/photos are… Read More

I learned the most from my years of volunteering at a well-run school under the leadership of the man who became my mentor, Warren Cherry. Read More

Grampa’s hands      Grampa had sparkly brown eyes that simply shone when he told stories about his postal delivery days, or launched into a dramatic recitation of a favorite poem. He had a full head of hair that he kept neatly trimmed, and he dressed as dapper gentle men of his day did-  never… Read More

In just one trip to the Giant Eagle grocery store I hear about a drunken host with a mynah bird that spewed racial insults, a greedy nightclub owner with a drawer full of stolen watches, and a girl singer with balloon boobs who would always blank out when trying to remember the words to "Accentuate the Positive." Read More

In the 1950s and 1960s, there was no television reception on Long Beach Island. Instead, we went out after dinner for lemon ice (made with real lemons and cane sugar), and played a round of miniature golf. Read More

There was hand sanitizer at every place setting, the centerpiece was a bowl filled with rubber gloves, and for desert we had our choice of individually wrapped pastries. Read More

The lessons from my father were never actually lessons.  That is what has stayed with me so strongly over all of these many years. They were life lessons that I learned, by osmosis, from this incredibly strong man of character and integrity, who had a stiff backbone in standing up for what he believed, and… Read More

The first time I saw snow was the year my family lived in Manhattan. My sister and I attended elementary school across the street from our building.  We’d bundle up in our new winter coats, pants, mittens, and boots. Just one winter: getting used to the smell of wet things drying on the radiator, taking… Read More

When John F. Kennedy was assassinated, the news media became a national unifier. Would the same be true today? Read More