Wearing My Soul On My Face

Who likes to have their picture taken? Movie stars? Celebrities? Egotists? I can think of only a handful who enjoy being captured by an objective eye in a permanent way. Many of us are shy around a camera, smiling too broadly or not enough, opening our eyes as if we’ve been poked, or squinting as…

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Staying By The Side Of My Wild Child

All of us have daily challenges, and sometimes tackling them can be demoralizing. We try so hard, whether it is in climbing out of bed to face a routine that bores us, or in trekking off every day to a demanding job. Or maybe it’s in maintaining our patience with our whiny or needy children—whom…

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Healthy Escapism

Read! Read! Read! How much and how often do you open a book? I must confess I am a read-a-holic, spending every lunch–and sometimes dinner, when my husband is watching the hockey game–with my Kindle propped up in front of my plate. Sadly, however, the majority of people in the U.S. read only rarely–even highly…

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Skunked!

Dogs will be dogs–and skunks will be skunks. One night two weeks ago, our family of black and white spotted Dalmatians introduced themselves to a family of black and white striped skunks, under the pine trees in our backyard. Not surprisingly, none of the six were interested in making friends with each other. After some…

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Spark A Challenge

This past October, I received some news that I was reluctant to write about here. The novel I had been working on, and believed I’d finished, was judged by my literary agent to need more work before she took the book out to market. Why did I choose not to share this disappointment–one that was…

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Taking The Write Risks

The start of the New Year has me thinking about endings, beginnings, and the paths we take to lead us from one chapter to the next. How did you choose your direction? How did you decide to be a botanist, a nurse, or a stay-at-home Dad? For some, life’s course comes naturally–as for those who…

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Holiday Thanks Times Ten

Last week, my son emailed me with thanks and joy when he read my last newsletter and learned of my plan to visit him in New York City, as his “big present in a small package” for this coming Christmas. (Well, I guess his gift won’t be a surprise after all, no matter how cleverly…

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Big Presents In Little Packages

Does every important present come in a big package? The answer just might be “no.” At this season, most of us are looking for the ultimate gift, ready to give whatever we can dream up and afford, hoping to please the ones we love. Or, at least, I am. This morning, my son answered an…

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Our Spin On Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is only a week away, and I have a lot to be grateful for. Perhaps first and foremost is my good fortune in having an exceptional family, one that was originally torn apart when my husband left me, but which has been reunited over the years that followed our split. I am very lucky…

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Get Naked With Yourself

A singular idea occurred to me last week, coming hard on the heels of the Jewish holiday of repentance and new resolutions: what would happen if I made a list of all I’d like to change in my life during the coming year? Many of us create resolutions for the start of a fresh year–whether…

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