Suprise Me

    Co-creation   My children birthed me many times through our time together; we have labored over Our relationship Our independence Our interlocked destinies.   We have adventured as “family,” fought as friends do, with our least selves held in honor at some core level, while our higher selves offered bridges of joy and… Read More

One of my fondest memories of raising my children was cuddling up at bedtime with a book and reading together.  Read More

My name is Risa. That’s R-I-S-A. When I was growing up, I was the only Risa I had ever heard of. Surrounded by a gaggle of girls named Karen, Kathy, Linda, Carol, Nancy, and Diane, I was one of a kind. I got used to fielding the comments and questions: No, it’s not short for… Read More

The room froze, and I immediately realized that I'd said something that was taken in a way I didn't mean. Read More

Call me ungrateful, but I lacked a plan for the balance of the dawn, or for the rest of my life which stretched before me like the enormous ocean, and I was alone. Read More

There isn’t room for one more pair of shoes in my closet. But fortunately I haven’t been out shopping for shoes for a while. You could say it’s thanks to the pandemic. But really? It’s because my feet hurt. And my back hurts. I look at all those beautiful shoes sitting there–the perfect navy blue… Read More

The Extension The big telephone issue these days of course is whether or not to give up our landlines.   But the big deal when I was young was whether a girl could convince her folks to have an extension to the family telephone installed in her bedroom! If they would,  l remember promising my… Read More

There was something about cramming into a small booth that made the old photo booths special. Read More

Ever since I was a kid, I always dreamed about being someplace else. All my life I've dealt with wanderlust, and I have spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it. Read More

Here goes: Dr. Zhivago:  Saw this in college for the first time. Perhaps the last movie I’ve seen that is so long it needs an intermission! Gripping from beginning to end. Saving Private Ryan:  Having been in combat myself, this movie grabs me every time. Mrs. Doubtfire:  Most of our family has watched this so… Read More