I was her pride and joy. She always treated me with respect. I felt valued. That is not to say that it was all a rousing chorus of “When the Parade Passes By.” I was there through it all. I witnessed her gladness and sadness. I could feel, through her fingertips, the light and gentle […]

I swore this was the last time. I would never eat another hot dog in the middle of the night. You see, as I had grown older, I had a harder and harder time staying asleep at night. I had no trouble falling asleep, but after about four hours my brain cells would start firing […]

One of the last times I took my children to Florida to visit their grandmother during spring break, she and I talked about our plans ahead of time. Mother wanted to know what to buy for them to eat. I said not to bother or worry, as I would shop and cook once we got […]

Part of the emotional upheaval of being a widow last year included the financial issues I had to face, including having to endure will probates both in the U.S. and the U.K., because my deceased husband, Mike, was a U.K. citizen. This meant he filed both U.S. and U.K. tax returns, at different times during […]

During my childhood, and throughout the years, friendships, relationships, were daily essentials. We had fun riding bikes, playing kickball and hanging out with my dog Blackie. Blackie was my 15-year-old loyal companion. One stormy night, on his ritual bedtime trip outside, my still-haunted memory was his long stare back at me, which would be our […]

I was in New Jersey for my 50th Morris Catholic High School Class of 1966 reunion. I’d heard that my “high school hero” was in an Alzheimer’s home. Back in the day, Bob was older, wiser – the coolest of the cool. He drove the hottest, baddest ’55 Chevy. His brothers warned me of his […]

“The Last Time” … This is actually a provocative half statement in that it does leave one dangling in midair, or in this case, mid-sentence, but maybe that is exactly what it is supposed to do: Make you think! Well, here goes something! The last time I felt as uncertain and anxious about life as […]

When my boyfriend said, “You’ll never get near him,” it raised my hackles and heightened my determination. He was coming to Baltimore, on a campaign stop at the Emerson Hotel. Carefully, I chose my outfit for the event: white gloves, pearl earrings, low heels, a green floral print dress with its wide self-belt. Driving my […]

I stood at the window on Easter, watching the chickadees in last fall’s garden, when my great-grandmother suggested that I choose a book to take outside and read on the grass. As she filled my arms with a yellow print bedspread to sit on, I grabbed a pen. Gramma handed me a small, old book […]