The Importance of Gratitude This Thanksgiving
I’ve always considered November to be the month of gratitude. This is not to say that gratitude shouldn’t be practiced every month of the year, but during this month, I believe it’s particularly important to make it a priority…
Read MoreCan You Ever Really Know Someone?
My sister and I exchange emails at least once a week. Sometimes I’m shocked when I read her impressions of something I’ve said. It’s eye-opening and gives me a different lens through which to see myself. Brought up in a small town in northern…
Read MoreThe Artful Life: Reconnecting with Your Creativity in Midlife and Beyond
Life is full of comparisons. As employees, our performance is measured against our coworkers. As mothers, we worry about whether we are doing good enough – compared to whom, by the way?
Read MoreHow Important Is It to Make a Difference in Your 60s?
Have you always felt that you’re destined to do something great? In our 60s, we can wake up and think: it’s now or never. Maybe we want to leave our mark on our community or even the world. If we’re retired, we can make up for all of the volunteering…
Read MoreBreast Cancer and Writing: What’s the Connection?
October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, I am deeply aware of my own journey, as this year marks my 20th anniversary as a breast cancer survivor. When diagnosed with DCIS (ductal carcinoma in situ) at the age of 47, I was happily raising…
Read More5 Autumn Rituals to Celebrate the Changing of the Seasons (Plus, My Apple Butter Recipe)
I love the changing of the seasons. Don’t you? This time of year I get to pull out my flannel shirts and thick socks, which after a summer of bare shoulders and toes feels cozy and warm. As the weather cools down, I delight in the autumn rituals…
Read MoreHow Life After Retirement is Like Being a Student Again
As ready as I was to leave my 8-7 (it was never 9-5) world after a successful and satisfying career, I had the usual feelings that many people experience upon the phenomenon our society calls retirement. No one tells you that retirement takes processing…
Read MoreFinding Joy in Planning My Mother’s Memorial Service
My mother passed away during the pandemic. She didn’t die from Covid-19. But because she died during the height of last year’s lockdown, we could not pay proper tribute to her life in the days and weeks following her death. One year on, we are finally…
Read MoreHow we Hosted “Camp Grandma & Grandpa” During the Pandemic
The best benefit of “Camp Grandma & Grandpa” for us during last summer’s pandemic peak was precious time with our grandsons and their parents. We never shared this many weeks together with them since their own childhood… and they probably…
Read MoreDoes Your Mother’s Legacy Shape Your Own?
The Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines legacy as “something transmitted by or received from an ancestor or predecessor from the past.” It’s common to hear about legacies “living on” today when they continue to affect those in the present…
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