By the time we arrive in our seventh decade, most of us have lost a number of loved ones. Some of those individuals might have been ancestors who were mentors, or those who changed our lives in some way. Ancestors can also be places…

In 2001, when I was diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), an early form of breast cancer, everything was going well in my life. I was 47 years old and had three wonderful children, ages 12, 16, and 18. Happily married, my husband…

Chances are that during the course of your lifetime, or maybe more so in your 50s and 60s, you’ve known people who’ve said that they wanted to end their lives. Perhaps they were victims of trauma or were dealing with physical…

Eleven years ago, at the age of 58, I returned to school for my PhD in transpersonal psychology. As a healer and writer, I thought that my research would be a perfect fit for my life path. In addition to wanting to do research and write books and articles…

More and more research is coming forth about how the events of our childhoods affect our adult passions and mold who we become. Some believe that childhood sets the stage for the trajectory of our lives. This has definitely been true for me…

Whether it’s the fact that we’re coming out of the pandemic or just my mood this summer, I’ve been spending a lot of time poring over old photos and reminiscing about some of the best summers of my childhood. The summer of 1969 really stands out…

My father died in 1991. I was 47 years old, and I continue to feel him with me each and every day. It is difficult to lose someone we love. In her poem, “One Art,” Elizabeth Bishop says, “So many things seem filled with the intent to be lost…

It’s easy to think of May as a month to honor mothers; however, there are those who were born to moms who did not want them, those they were estranged from, or mothers who’ve passed away. For these individuals, Mother’s Day can be a time…

National Nurse’s Week in the US is May 6th to May 12th. The week honors Florence Nightingale’s birthday which is on May 12th. Nightingale is known as the founder of modern nursing. It’s been 38 years since I graduated…

April is National Poetry Month, and this year I’d like to honor one of my favorite poets, Pablo Neruda. About 20 years ago, a friend gifted me a copy of Neruda: Selected Poems. My friend was bilingual in English and Spanish and like many of Neruda’s…