Suprise Me

My own family has no traditions to speak of, but when I arrived at the National Music Camp in 1964 (now the Interlochen Arts Camp), it was full of traditions. Some I would help add. Camp had been around since 1928 and became an integral part of my life for decades. Now I just send… Read More

Health, education, and welfare: equality is improving, but progress is uneven. Read More

The right to vote is not about politicians or policy or propositions. It is about exercising a right, embracing a responsibility. My mother has felt this way as long as I've known her. I don't think she has ever missed voting in an election. Read More

Technically, we're not allowed to have the fresh vegetables, but most guards tend to look the other way. Read More

I have come full cycle from the days when the umbilical cord of my old kitchen connected me to my friends. Like my parents before me and my kids and grandkids, I now avoid long conversations. They cost me valuable time. Read More

Hair has power.  My father knew that, which is why he shaved us skull-tight once a week, leaving him with the controlling interest.  Yet he was bald, which didn’t make sense. Regardless, by third grade, the year I started hitting on women, he let us grow our hair out.  The power it gave me was … I… Read More

My most important summer experience was at Camp Rising Sun--a program devoted to scholarship, leadership, and international cross-cultural exchange. It was a life changing experience for me, and I am doing my part to keep the program going for future young people. Read More

Cherry Coke I must confess I often find myself googling my college crush. Actually M was more than a crush,  he was my steady boyfriend during my freshman and sophomore years,  until I took a camp job that following summer and met someone else.  But that’s another story. M was a class ahead of me… Read More

Rick was alone with our mother for almost 5 years. I was not welcome when I came along. I was a hairless creature. He thought girls should have hair, so I must be a boy, right? He called me “boop-de-boy” and tripped me as I learned to walk. But as I became more fun to… Read More

Family and friends, returning to the center. Read More