When I was in sixth grade, the teacher gave us a writing assignment. “Write about one of your heroes,” she said. As my classmates immediately thought of firemen, their grandma or Jesus, I had to ponder my options. Joan of Arc? Harriet Tubman? Louis Braille? Superman? Athena? Woody Guthrie? Teresa of Ávila? The list was [...]
Author Archive
Stuff and story
There is always a moment when the holiday season kicks in: the first fluffy snowfall, the first decorations on sale in September, the Macy’s Parade, the smell of baking spices wafting through the house. With respectful acknowledgement that celebrations and interests vary, our family loves Christmas time and it begins when we bring the first [...]
Happy birthday to me, I mean you
The alarm went off at 5:00 am last Tuesday, but I was already awake. I had been lying there wondering if I could still cut one last rose this season to put in a bud vase. I got up with atypical morning energy and began the planned preparations. Over the next hour and a half [...]
Pretty Saro
Sometimes a song is more than a song. Sometimes you hear a song for the first time when your heart is breaking. When you are left and lost and sure no one has ever felt this alone. Then you hear this song and it is everything you feel sung exactly how you feel it. It is [...]
Ordinary adventures
My head is wrapped in a towel as I sit down and face the mirror. As she unwinds and reveals the results of the eye-burning wait, my hair tumbles out: the usual brunette, now with two banana yellow stripes along each side of my face. Not what I was expecting. My son is in the [...]
Under the mask
I remember the exact moment when I knew I was an adult. I was looking down at a scrap of paper someone had dropped on the floor. I could hear my mother’s voice in my head. As kids we just walked over things – trash, shoes, backpacks – and my mother would harangue us with incredulous [...]
I am sad Amy Winehouse is dead
I am sad Amy Winehouse is dead. I said this to a coworker on Monday morning. He said, “People die of addiction every day, why should her death be any sadder than anyone else’s.” He responded quickly, as if he had thought about it. Throughout the week I have heard bits and pieces of conversation. [...]
Forty-nine mixes later – highlights of trip
My son and I just got back from a 15 day road trip to explore possible college choices. Here are a few highlights. Best Advice, Fun Facts and Wisdom from Student Tour Guides: “The swans living on this pond are the 13th generation from the original swans brought here when the school was established!” “If you [...]
Forty-nine mixes later
His job is to build music mixes. He has created about thirty so far. He will make one for each hour, exactly nineteen songs each. Thematic titles include: Eagle Eye, Boys go to Jupiter, Girls have Cooties, Don’t, 3rdDegree Burns, The Start of Something Good, Oxygen, Slumber Party, Skyline, Say it Loud, Outer Space and Bad [...]
