When Maria was diagnosed with lung cancer a couple of years ago, I intuitively felt she would not beat it. I was hopeful and supportive but I was also pragmatic and had learned to trust my intuition. Of course, she showed valiant effort with holistic healing sessions and emotional work and cutting-edge genetic treatments. She improved for a while but passed last month and the young age of 60. For her celebration of life, we were told to wear white or vivid colors and to bring

I drive a short distance in the mornings to a charming 1760 inn that is now a restaurant and events venue. I leave the car at the back of the ample parking area, empty at that time of day, to enjoy walking the country roads in the vicinity. As I start out on my stroll, I pass a quaint yellow house circa the same time period. A large garden with rows of flowers and vegetables line the side yard. And I always admire the giant zinnias when in bloom in front of the house. The abu

At my sister’s on Christmas Day we started talking about American singer-songwriter John Denver. Seeing him in concert years ago inspired my brother-in-love to get a 12-string acoustic guitar and start playing and singing. Naturally, John Denver songs are among his favorites and especially at gigs. We sat around the dining room table singing “The Eagle and the Hawk” for one. We also debated whether “Rocky Mountain High” was really about a spiritual awakening and after I sang

I got a phone call. “Debbie doll, you were right! You’ll never guess what happened!” This was my grandmother, some years ago. She used to call me Debbie doll. I miss that. “What happened?” “Well, yesterday I was out riding on my scooter to the senior center when it tipped over!” A gasp, from me. “It’s OK. I’m OK, honey. I fell on my side and I remembered what you said. Put your hands over the area and smile into it. So I put my hands over my hip where I had hit the ground and

After a long, hot, and humid week, we had a series of strong thunderstorms and heavy rains here in upstate New York. A blackout sent me to bed early, so I cracked the bedroom window open to hear the night sounds of the insects in the woods. A big smile broke across my face in the dark as I heard the croaking of a bullfrog. I hadn’t heard frogs in quite a while, it had been so dry that even my quarter-acre pond was mostly dried up. I felt such joy, and I reveled in the joy of

During a walk, I noticed something unsettling. Two tall teenagers were heading my direction when I decided to speak up. “Can I talk with you for a minute?” They stopped and listened. “I saw you knock over that flower pot back there and keep walking without picking it up.” “Yeah… I thought about it,” one admitted. “Mind if I share a quick life lesson?” I asked. They shifted but nodded. I was prepared for pushback, but they were listening. I didn’t mention her by name, but I sh