My dear, sweetest daughter, I see the day, coming like a freight train, when you will morph from geeky adolescence into a girl who cares about Valentine's Day in an entirely new way. In a blink there you'll be, sorting through matters of the heart and deciding on your own who is and isn't worthy … Continue reading A lesson for my love.
If you were tasked with teaching people to love one another, with spreading peace and harmony around the world, and you had all of the best traditions of faith available for your use and development, then why on earth would you leave weekly family dinner in the dust? Of all the things you could choose … Continue reading Dinner in the shadow of Shabbat.
It doesn't take much to make me happy, most days. (Note: My children will read that sentence and say, "You choose how you feel, Mama; no one can make you happy or unhappy." Wonder where they heard that?) The other night, as I was choosing to have an unhappy moment, I gave myself a challenge: … Continue reading 50 happy things from 2013
It's coming for you, as it came for me. It comes for us all. You can (over) prepare yet still be surprised, caught off guard, when it happens. You might think you are ready, having known what to expect from the beginning. You got your groove back, maybe more than once. You carefully bent to … Continue reading Every mom’s Jean Valjean moment.
In the last 10 days the leader of the free world called for military action against Syria and a public debate about it. And in this time of international attention on Mideast unrest, chemical weapons, unenforceable treaties, and the deaths of scores of women and children, the folks at WordPress are asking bloggers worldwide to … Continue reading Rules for girls.
My son caught his first fish on a fly rod last week. He had begged for years to go fishing; he had seen all my gear in the hall closet and wanted me to show him how to use it. Finally last week, thanks to an invitation from a dear friend, he got his chance. … Continue reading Tight lines and sister tales.
In every high school English class, Dear Mrs. Newberry, you kicked my ass. That we hard workers all might be, You told us to expect no more than a "C." You walked us through Dante, Shakespeare and Chaucer With a passion you imprinted like a hard steel embosser. And your cat-eye frames caused quite a … Continue reading Thank you, Mrs. Newberry.
Car time used to be NPR time, Morning Edition on the way to work and All Things Considered on the way home. It lasted through my children's first years; but when they grew old enough to understand words though not mature enough for much of NPR's content, we switched to music then to audiobooks. I … Continue reading The way life happens.
