Sep 15Walking: Everyday LoveWe layer the clothes. Tee shirt. Fleece. Vest. Jacket. Hat. Gloves. Then shut the door tight as Ace prances ahead, happy for another morning to explore. The sniffs are never the same. Nor are we. Some mornings we walk silently. A morning meditation without labeling it anything fancy or interesting…Marriage1 min readMarriage1 min read
May 16My Big Fat Portuguese Death VigilThis is a story about what happens when you surrender to dying and magic happens. It requires believing in ghostly premonitions. “The entire Matta family was outside standing on the sidewalk last night. There must have been 100 of them. I tried to get out of the building to talk…Dying7 min readDying7 min read
Apr 7Caregivers Don’t Want This BSI turn the car radio to the local NPR station and the “This I Believe” segment turns my mood from light to bitch-crazy angry. “Many of us have known friends and loved ones whose minds and mental faculties have slipped away as some form of dementia has tightened its unrelenting…Grief And Loss4 min readGrief And Loss4 min read
Feb 13Stormy Joy: Pressing Pause on AnxietyAs a long-haul caregiver, I’ve learned one especially important thing: if we can press PAUSE on our anxiety and worrying, we can let in moments of intense joy. Like what happened in this story. “I know it’s last minute,” said Rosanne’s email, “but we’re planning Wayne’s memorial celebration here…Joy9 min readJoy9 min read
May 6, 2022Dear Book ClubDear Book Club Friends, Thank you for you. Thank you for us. Books, movies, TV series, politics, setbacks, struggles and joys. Marriages, illnesses, children, miscarriages, divorce, death, work, school, bad bosses, good jobs, no jobs. Always evolving. Our first all-time favorite book 30+ years ago was Wallace Stenger’s “Crossing to…Friendship2 min readFriendship2 min read
Apr 27, 2022Losing Love in the Trilling SeasonOh, the pleasure that awaits tonight. I close up the house early. It is time. I can hear them. I open my bedroom window a crack. It’s still in the forties here in Rhode Island. I silence the phone. Climb into the ancient four-poster bed and close my eyes. The…Dementia4 min readDementia4 min read
Jan 12, 2022The Cowards Call the Cops on MeHurricanes are the storms that rage here in Rhode Island, the Ocean State. I, however, am a twister. Especially when people call the police and have them chase me down. Which happened this morning. Those who wanted me arrested should seek shelter because I am about to expose their petty…Police Reports5 min readPolice Reports5 min read
Jan 10, 2022Fairies Need to Fly“You’re like a wood nymph. How magical you are,” he says as we stand on the small deck of the Nantucket cottage, drinking prosecco in the cold, December night. I am wearing a wreath of ivy, berries and red ribbons, a one-of-a-kind Swarovski atelier necklace that I have never worn…Pandemic Decisions4 min readPandemic Decisions4 min read
Jan 5, 2022Sometimes When ListeningSometimes I hear a Great Horned Owl outside my bedroom window. Sometimes I go out the next morning to the bush that brushes up against the bedroom window to find a trace of the owl. There are no traces. …Life2 min readLife2 min read
Dec 9, 2021Get Old, Go BoldI am stretched on the floor like a teenager. Oh, my back. I put a pillow under my knees and feel relief. As I look up to the ceiling, I wonder why this happens in winter but never in summer. I wonder why I hate hiking mountains in New England…Aging3 min readAging3 min read
