You won’t find her listed in most literary anthologies, and there would be plenty of critics to sneer at her writing. But that really doesn’t matter. Because Dame Barbara Cartland was the people’s author, much as her step-granddaughter, Lady Di, was the people’s princess. And critics aside, Cartland forever will […]
Marie Snider – This Side of 60
Sweet, gentle Phoebe doesn’t like to say “goodbye.” And I understand exactly how she feels. She loves to say “hello” in every way she knows. Licking, wagging, dancing, playing, and squeaking her toys. When all the expressiveness is over, Phoebe leads the newcomer to a comfortable spot by the fire. […]
We all have our images and stereotypes. And for us, it’s a known fact that very few of our out-of-town guests arrive on motorcycles. Janet and Brian, however, were the exception, and we barely knew where to park their over-sized Honda. It all began with a phone call from the […]
In February, my column outlined the “top 10 trends” identified by the Trends Research Institute in Rhinebeck, N.Y. They examine more than 300 social, economic, philosophical, and political topics all the time. The following areas show the biggest recent changes in social, economic, and political structures: I earlier wrote about […]
There’s nothing like a Raggedy Ann or Andy doll to bring a smile to my face. And just for today, I have three of them visiting my office. A big Raggedy Ann–more than two feet tall–smiles from her perch by my copy machine. And a pair, sitting close and snuggling […]
Lists have always been my weakness. For as long as I can remember, I’ve made lists in every conceivable manner. With pen and ink. On the typewriter. On the computer. On 3 x 5 cards. And 5 x 7 cards. On yellow paper. And pink paper. In my Day-Timer. And […]
It’s never happened before. But that really doesn’t matter because it’s happening now. The demographics of society are changing radically. As a nation and as a world, we’re growing significantly older. For tens of thousands of years, people expected to live short lives and life expectancy remained steady at less […]
There’s something in the human soul that craves the gentle fall of snow and the subsequent blanketing of everything ugly. With the world turned white, piles of rubbish take on artistic form, barren patches of earth are stacked with beauty, and snow-laden bushes spark the imagination. But vastly more important, […]
It was Ruth who was there years ago when a tiny girl needed surgery to lengthen the shortened tendons in her thumbs. The hospital was a very scary place for a four-year-old–especially when aides came rushing in too late, slid her quickly onto the cart, and hurried her down the […]
Without question, the search for truth is a life-long pilgrimage. One that requires both thoughtful listening and assessing. With a heavy dose of openness. And above all, openness to finding truth wherever it resides–sometimes in the most unlikely places. Last week, one of those unlikely places for me was an […]
Somehow I’ve never thought of myself as lazy although Miss Foley–my high school homeroom teacher–did call me a procrastinator. But truthfully, I’ve never been too sure about her assessment because what I was actually doing was reading books when, in her mind, I should have been doing class assignments. And […]
It all started late one night with a loud churning noise in the kitchen. I raced quickly to see if the garbage disposal had run amuck. What I found was a frightening Star Wars-type event taking place in the oven. In retrospect, it probably was just a fire burning up […]
