Three weeks out from New Year’s Eve, and at least seven folks have said to me, “Thank God the holidays are over.” I can sure relate. My stress-o-meter zooms to new heights the week before my family arrives. Between finishing up last minute shopping, worrying about the holiday cards I haven’t yet started (oops), and…
I like to imagine that I’ve really “evolved” and matured over the years. And then every once in a while, I realize there are some things that haven’t changed at all. The other day, I came across something I’d written years ago (back in prehistoric times when there was such a thing as video stores,…
The other day I put my one year old grandson Milo down for his morning nap and retreated to my desk to do some writing, baby monitor in hand. He fell asleep quickly. I eagerly opened up my lap top, figuring I had a good hour and a half to work before he woke up.…
So, the nanny’s on vacation which is what brings me to NYC for the week to hang with my one year old grandson Milo. Ordinarily, when I come to the Big Apple, I’m running to MOMA and the Met. But this week, I’m doing my running around a roomy loft in Tribeca chasing the world’s…
Dear Friends: Wanted to share these comments I made at a recent church service on caregiving. I’d love to hear from you about any experiences or concerns you have in connection with caregiving. Here goes: A few years ago, a small group of us sat in a circle at church doing some New Year’s sharing.…
Years ago, I was at a writer’s conference chatting with a New York book editor. He asked me who my favorite YA writer was. I named her, and he said rather dismissively, “Yes, she’s good, but she always writes the same book.” To which I replied, “But it’s such a good book.” In fact, there…
Since I’m about to finish my MFA from Seton Hill University in Writing Popular Fiction, I’ve been doing some shopping for gifts to express my appreciation to the terrific professional writer/mentors I’ve worked with. Surfing the net for “gifts for writers” has made me reflect on the gifts folks have given me over the years.…
When our children were growing up, we had a Sunday evening ritual of lighting a candle after dinner and taking turns talking about what we were thankful for. Our then seven-year-old said, “Now let me just start with my un-thankfuls.” Truthfully, there’s a lot to be un-thankful about this Thanksgiving. In so many ways, the…