As parents, we’re not supposed to live our lives vicariously through our adult children. We’re advised to focus on living our own lives and following our own dreams. But sometimes, I’ve decided it’s A-okay to savor life’s joys vicariously. Take this past Monday, for example. Our beautiful daughter-in-law, now in her mid-thirties, waited anxiously all…
The young woman standing next to me in the coffee line at church was a gifted writer. She’d done a reading of her poetry several months before, and I’d been blown away by the lyricism and elegance of her work. At the reading, she’d talked about how much she was enjoying getting back to…
Our friends and family are far flung, so every year, I make a special effort to do a holiday newsletter and send pictures of our grandkids. This year, we’ve had wonderful things in our family to celebrate—a new grandbaby on the way, one of our sons being named head basketball coach at the high school…
When one of my dear writing friends, Ellen Birkett Morris, got an agent the other day, I think I was almost as excited as she was. Despite being an award-winning short story writer with an outstanding reputation, it wasn’t easy to find an agent for her first novel. I can definitely relate! Yet, in the…
Sometimes I imagine little cartoon bubbles over people’s heads when they’re speaking. The bubbles indicate what they’re really thinking and feeling—the gritty subtext of their seemingly innocuous statements. Here are four statements I hear a lot, and my translations of what they really mean: “With all due respect…” – A favorite for commentators and “experts”…
Wishing all of you a beautiful Thanksgiving! Holidays invariably put me in a reflective mood. Here’s what was on my mind during my travels yesterday: The train ride between New York and Boston is a mere four hours long, but the distance I travel between my son’s Manhattan household to my mom’s Cambridge apartment seems…
My students think it’s hilarious that my ancient phone is a flip-top. I get the feeling they wouldn’t be surprised if I pulled out a Smith Corona typewriter from my book bag. Clearly, I’m a strange visitor from another planet… or maybe a time traveler who hasn’t yet figured out the ways of the 21st…