“Hi,” the mother answered, “We’re your neighbors. I’m Angie and this is my daughter Casey”...Deep inhale... “Is this your turtle?” Continue reading

“Keep your day and your mind open for the universe to fill it,” my more judicious, tactful internal voice continued. Novel idea. “Be present and aware in every step, in every breath.” I know, buh… “Shhh...just watch and listen.” Now that’s getting a bit radical. “Shhh!” OK, OK!…Calm down. Continue reading

The whole path is basically an irregular rectangle with a few inexplicable and unforeseeable bends. “Who planned that one?,” you ask yourself every now and then....It’s an irregular, extremely odd rectangle. Or imagining it that way makes it easier to visualize... Continue reading

...“Buh...,” “Wha...?” and “Psh!” are the first few things that may come to your mind to say in rebuttal to something like that. They are the first few things that came to mine when I first heard it anyway... Continue reading

..What’s your color? How has it changed over the years? The jobs? The relationships? And how do you express yourself now? Not on your hands, but on those 10 tiny, secret canvases? Continue reading

Tell me what you think about this one – “You can tell a lot about a woman by her toenails.” Those 10 secret little screens on which we convey our worries, insecurities, strengths and good fortune...Grab a notepad and a writing implement – do this with me – and chart your toenail polish color development through your life... Continue reading

...I saw this sign while out and about today. The day and the exact moment on the day could not have been more perfect, probably for more than just a few of us. Continue reading

It’s funny how often we complain it’s so hard to meet people, to make a quality connection in “this” or any city, based on things that matter. It’s a bit funnier how often we find ourselves ill-prepared to actually discuss anything that matters...“Time and place, time and place.” Of course. Continue reading

"When Simplicity Is the Solution" from The Wall Street Journal: "Complexity is the coward's way out. But there is nothing simple about simplicity, and achieving it requires following three major principles:..." Continue reading

However her final wishes, all pomp and circumstance aside, were that we scatter her ashes in roughly the same place in the Atlantic Ocean where we scattered my grandfather’s almost 20 years ago. This week, we honored her bidding....In true Big Nance style, this entry is our packing list for her final release from her earthly existence: Continue reading

It was probably shock, combined with peace – odd roommates – and a tacit understanding, especially among the grandchildren, that the best way to get through this was to keep moving...Yes, they would fly in from Northern and Southern California, South Carolina, Virginia, Florida, West Virginia by way of Mexico, New York City…They, “we,” would all be there. Continue reading

When she arrived, five or six of us in our family were at the Queen Mum’s bedside in the same positions we had occupied the last couple of days; crouched at the foot of her bed, curled up on the bench at the foot, standing gently next to it...We held hands and closed our eyes for Pastor Clara’s prayer. Yes, the prayer Big Nance would want. Continue reading

Nothing would have scared my grandmother more than dying alone and fortunately she did not have to. Nothing would have hurt her survivors more than grieving alone. All twenty-some of us...Fortunately we did not have to do that either. In the Midwest, that really does not seem possible. Continue reading

Last week, my beautiful grandmother Nancy left this life..After such a loud and joyous life, she passed away peacefully and quietly at home in her comfortable bed, surrounded by family members and the cats she adored. This week’s entry honors my grandmother, Big Nance/the Queen Mum. Continue reading

Trevor is one of my closest friends who is both a Buddhist scholar and a lawyer. A few weeks ago, he launched his intriguing blog...in which he reconciles his work to his belief system – Or rather, uses the attributes that are fundamental to his profession to support his Buddhist practice...He is a realist, a comic and a compelling writer. Please enjoy this week’s entry, courtesy of Trevor: Continue reading

Everyone I know adores the place. A few couples I know got engaged there. The whole world falls in love in Florence...But some cities and you don’t click. Florence and I do not. Continue reading

Italy equals Love. Florence, not so much...This, obviously, is completely subjective. As are many things, both important and inconsequential in relation to the rest of our lives. Continue reading

And each time, we have let that fire get lit inside of us again. We still let that fire get lit inside of us. We do not hitch ourselves up to make the precisely same mistake over again. That probably would not go too well. But we have the strength... Continue reading

I’m good at self-protecting. Most of us are. And some of us…I’m also good at picking the precise...that is never really going to make me happy...I have been good at each of those anyway – for much of my adult life. As have probably many of us. Continue reading

...I felt very special when some cousins asked me to write his proposal for his high school’s alumni hall of fame. This week’s entry includes the highlights. May Poppy, and our own larger-than-life capabilities we can all recognize inside ourselves, inspire us this first full week in 2013. Continue reading

As single women, the whole question about what to do for New Year’s Eve can become a cruel joke we play on ourselves. It can confound us, even if we are completely content as a singleton. It’s not society’s fault, our our ex’s fault or our parent’s fault... Everyone, including us, makes a big deal about it. Continue reading

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For any of us who may have wondered the same in a clearer-headed mindset, you will find this entry interesting. The other night, en route to my niece’s and nephew’s holiday pageant at their school, I heard this introduction on NPR: Continue reading

As soon as we have worked through the shock and denial that we are, yet again, running hard and fast into the holidays, we become proactive. Reluctantly or with great gusto – and sometimes both, depending on the day or the task – we confront the reality... Continue reading

..All warm fuzzies. Everything about those cards is lovely – except for the “Oh, my God…it’s almost Christmas???” revelation that strikes as your finger tears through the paper on that first envelope you receive. Continue reading