Originally posted on Beth Warstadt:
“My mom’s name is Jane. She is 81 years old, and she is failing.” I wrote that five months ago. July, 2016. It is January 2017, and I should have known better. My mom is a survivor. My son said, “Stop calling us home to say goodbye, and then the…
When I started this blog, my goal was to provide a respite–a distraction, if you will–for minds weary of the trials and tribulations of real life. I had no idea, none of us did, that our definition of “trials and tribulations” would change forever in the Spring of 2020. But there is great ingenuity to…
Christmas / Family / Food / Friends / General / Inspirations / Life / Movies and television
This post refers to Jesus, but don’t worry. The ideas apply to everyone, Christian or otherwise. Also, this is a long one, so grab your beverage of choice and a scone or a cookie. When it comes to the holidays, I’m all in. Decorations in every corner. A twelve-foot tree with hundreds of ornaments. Caloric…
Family / Friends / General / Inspirations / Life
Happy Thanksgiving! Without reservation, I am thankful for you. If we are family or friends, then you have enriched my life beyond measure, and I love you even if we have not spoken in years. If we are only aware of each other because of our posts, then you are precious to me for knowing…
I will not tell you my political leanings. To be fair, they are a little nebulous anyway. When I consider what I want the world to be, my opinion is determined by supervising the cafeteria at the elementary school where I work. I am a paraprofessional, well-treated in spite of my lowly status, and thankful…
Do I blog or to go through the several thousand e-mails waiting for my attention? Since the several thousand e-mails totally overwhelm me, I will blog. (If you have written me an e-mail that I have not answered, please understand it is buried in an avalanche of “Christmas is coming” sales promotions. I promise I…
Today is our 35th wedding anniversary! It is a great day, and I am so, so happy. After so many years, I love him more than I ever thought possible, and I know that makes me a very lucky woman indeed. But here’s what makes it so sweet…things weren’t always great.Steve worked hard to build…
I love to walk. Given the choice, I will walk until my legs fall off, figuratively speaking (my husband took it literally and walked me 14 miles on one day in New York City last year, but that’s a story for another day).When Kevin and Preetha moved home with Pop last year, I thought I…
Father’s Day cards have always been a problem for me. You see, my relationship with my father was complicated. “You’re the greatest dad in the world!” I don’t think so. “You’ve always been there for me!” Not exactly. “You’ve shown me the person I want to be.” Nope. What I needed were cards that said,…
Disclaimer: If you are tired of my musings on the glories of life, this post is not for you. While I do have periods of deep sadness and depression, those are my long periods of silence, for why should I drag my readers into the abyss with me? Recently, however, I have been in the…
When my first son, Kevin, was born, I received one of those “page-a-day” calendars with sayings for new mothers. The one that has stayed with me all these years is a quote from Elizabeth Stone: “Making the decision to have a child…is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”…
Do you know why I write? Because I have encountered books, movies, music, art, architecture, places, landscapes, people, food, and celebrations that have caused my heart to swell, and I want to give other people that feeling. Music causes the physical racing of my heart so that it seems my body will never be able…
