Marley and I headed out on our long morning walk yesterday morning as usual, but for some reason I decided to go a completely different route than the one we habitually take. Suddenly, in the corner of my eye I saw a white flash bounding toward us; a large Great Pyrenees mix grinning and wagging … More On Chance Meetings
I celebrated my 58th birthday the other day, an occasion that is typically a day of reflection for me…maybe even more so as I inch ever closer to a new decade of life. I am finding that with age come some pretty miraculous gifts. Maybe they were always within my reach, but something about the … More Birthday Reflections: The Year of No
I look out at the world through eyes full of stars, seeking the good and the beautiful. I am not blind; I see the pain, the fear, and the anger; hearts frozen, minds closed, for the world forever tilts in a balancing act of light and dark. I get to choose, though; fall into darkness … More Eyes Full of Stars
As I walked Marley this crisp January 2nd morning, it suddenly dawned on me that this is the first year I can remember that I didn’t make a grandiose list of New Year’s resolutions, usually concerning dietary and lifestyle changes and, of course, weight-loss. I have to admit that it feels concurrently strange and incredibly … More Resolutely Resolutionless
In the New Year, I wish you joy and peace, good health and grace. I wish you the strength to turn away from fear and embrace love with open arms. We’ve come through a battle, one not yet ending, but light shines on the horizon. There is an electricity in the air that sparks a … More In the New Year
I wondered if I would feel it when I woke up in the pre-dawn of Christmas morning on this year of all years; that familiar electricity mixed with anticipation and unbridled joy instilled from my earliest childhood memories. The magic of Christmas that has nothing whatsoever to do with presents or pandemics. I did feel … More A Christmas Morning
I find that I’m having a difficult time wrapping my head around Christmas this year. Though I’ve had bursts of holiday spirit, Covid has colored everything with a heavy blanket of worry, isolation, and profound loss. Our home is decorated, music is playing; all of the trappings are here, but there is a hollowness, a … More On Holiday Wrapping
It’s funny how memories can lay dormant for long periods of time and then bubble to the surface when triggered by a certain sight, sound, or smell. I was looking out onto the sunporch and the beautiful winter view of the city when suddenly I was transported to Christmas 2009, what would unknowingly be our … More A Little Christmas Memory
Even though there are several meetings and some school work left to do, the Christmas break has officially begun after the strangest semester of my long teaching career. I am always excited to get to the holidays, but this year is different. I think we all need a dose of the normalcy of holiday traditions … More A Merry Little Christmas
I’ve been thinking a lot about anchors during my morning walks around the neighborhood with Marley. For some reason lately, the word and its many connotations in my life keep bubbling to the surface with the contemplative repetition of our rhythmic walking. Anchors can certainly have a negative connotation; possibly things that weigh us down … More Anchors
