Being Grateful

I began writing this article several times. The topic: aging. What to say: a lot, not much… not sure? Finally, I turned to some women from my personal circles, all of them between the ages of 50 and 75. I caught them a bit by surprise when I broached the subject…

As I look back on my 65 years, to say that my life did not turn out the way I expected would be an understatement. I wonder how many of us would be honest enough to say the same. I approached both marriage and motherhood with incredible idealism…

I can’t remember who said that “aging is not for the weak.” And if you think about it, that’s very true. In working with hundreds of women over the age of 40, I have learned that the aging process effects every woman differently. Some gracefully slide…

I’ve been singing the praises of bringing a grateful attitude into one’s life for years. If there is an award for being grateful, I’m in the running. Radical gratitude got my podcast guest, Margaret Zhao, through being an “enemy of the state” during…

I married a bona fide farm boy/nature lover. When I met Dave, he was a grad student in the biology department, and he was teaching Botany. He has always planted things. I love that he has planted trees anywhere we have lived and especially that he is…

As winter slowly turns into spring, most people turn their thoughts to warmer weather, flowers in the park and, probably, the birds and the bees. These are all good things to welcome, in my view. But what I really like in the late spring, right up to the summer solstice…

I have spent my 67 years residing in the state of Florida. I have to live with the fact my state is the punch line of late-night talk show jokes more frequently than other states. Our mythical mascot is “Florida Man” whose bizarre real-world antics personify…

When I taught writing, I asked my students to describe their parents by using the five senses. Gosh, does this writing exercise elicit vibrant responses! Here are some words my community college students, who ranged in age from 18 to 60, used to describe…

Superheroes don’t always wear capes. Neither do super heroines. Just after Mother’s Day, my virtual Women’s Circle CAFE group devoted an hour to talking about the heroines who changed our lives. And there wasn’t a cape to be found…

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…