My younger son, wise beyond his years, saw me striving to get a bunch of cards ready for the mail the other day. They weren’t the batch of New Year’s cards that we generally send — by late January. No, I was just scurrying to send out a handful of messages to about 1/100th of the people I’ve been missing, feeling the press of the clock, well aware of the deadline for getting them on their way on that particular … Read More
As we approach the time in the calendar when thoughts among the youngest of us turn to preparations underway up at the North Pole – and thank goodness for that — many of the rest of us are still grappling with the fact that we are a polarized society: a whole lot of us over here, and another whole lot of us over there. We are in factions, in bubbles, separated, with barely an inkling of how to come together. … Read More
Camp on the computer? Come on, you gotta be kidding. The concept seems to defy the very definition of what this summer institution is all about. Without the playing outdoors, the eating in the dining hall, the jumping off the dock, the walking the paths together, the fireside singing, the sleeping in bunks— what are you left with? As you’ve probably read, many parents (mostly parents who are comfortably off) have opted out of paying for camp on the computer … Read More
It’s been so long since I’ve checked in here that, if I were to bring any animals at all to this site, these would be the most appropriate choice. But another species has been on my mind. And I daresay you’ll be relieved to hear about anything other than politics right about now. Some of you have been doggedly —oh, my topic slipped out– following all the mostly dreary news of late; you need a break. So, trying to be … Read More
It’s a good thing it’s so beautiful, day after summer day, right here at home, because we don’t have much for travel plans. Blame it on the will-it-ever-end revising work; blame it on the dog and no dog sitter; don’t blame it on the kids. But really, it’s OK. I bet not absolutely everyone is gallivanting around, anyway. And besides, I already had an unusual trip to California just as summer was starting. It’s appropriate that this happened more than … Read More
We’re nearing graduations, a time for celebrating hard-earned completion of degrees. My mind, however, is mostly on that feeling of being immersed in ongoing work, trying in a variety of ways to get it, learning from someone else – or a bunch of people – how to do something independently. Making breakthroughs, having “Eureka!” moments, can happen at any age. Yesterday my husband spent much of the day with Episcopalians at an event called a “Revival” — a word that … Read More
Taking the time to do—to give, really — an act of kindness is a little bit like choosing the right path in the woods…and helping to light someone else’s way, too. As it happens, my husband and I are about to cross paths, domestically speaking. He’s coming to the end of a three month plus sabbatical, going back to being a bishop who is closely attuned to the well-being of clergy and churches; I’m almost done with a three month … Read More
“We were so glad to be invited!” the woman I’d just met told me. “When we moved in, I wasn’t sure if we’d be part of a neighborhood or not, since our house is on the main road.” I knew what she meant; five years ago, when we began settling onto this street that ends in a cul-de-sac, I hoped it held a promise of new and genuine connections, but I couldn’t be sure. The fact is, when you’ve ever … Read More
“Well, you’re golden with the Parking Division anyway!” Until this conclusion of my transaction with the cheerful woman with blond bangs behind the glass window about a year ago, I had never had cause to think of “golden” and “parking” (more specifically “parking tickets”) as having anything whatsoever to do with one another. She reminded me of it, though, when I had reason to return to that same window on a sweltering day, just after I’d turned down … Read More
With a flurry of new babies being born this spring, and at least one keeping his or her parents waiting past the due date, I’m hoping it’s not all that shameful to arrive late with a mere blog post. This one I dedicate wholeheartedly to my dog Rocky, who, on a daily basis, helps me to clarify my priorities. Specifically, I mean the age-old dilemma of what to run for, what to hold on to, what to deliver, what to … Read More