On May 23, 2009, a year after the death of my son, six months after the death of my mother, and five months after the death of my father, on the eve of the closing on my parent’s condo, I was diagnosed with lymphoma. Following eight rounds of chemo and seventeen radiation treatments, on December […]
Reflections
Grief: The Gift, The Challenge, The Process
THE GIFT In the last few years, several of my friends and I experienced significant losses. The anguish involved in loss is rarely welcomed, and often seen as the price one pays for having loved greatly. I, however, tend to look upon grief as a gift. Think of the alternative. Without great love, there would […]
Life Intervenes
This post, a continuation of my August 1 post, is about how life intervened on my and Debra Winegarten’s plans to “sing, dance, and catch up in person.” I looked forward to seeing Deb at the Story Circle Network conference and celebrating her achievements. June had been a great month for her. She spent a […]
Reflections on Sex and Power in the Age of #MeToo
After my initial shock and disgust, I reflected upon and wrestled with these questions as continuing revelations of sexual misconduct by powerful and influential men made the headlines: How might our relationships be different if sex was revered as sacred? …if the body of our partner was cherished and treated with reverence? …if the raw […]
Refreshing
“Vulnerability is at the core, the center, of meaningful experiences.” ~Brene Brown People fascinate me. I love to learn what makes them tick. That is probably why a ministry as a family and relationship therapist called to me. It also accounts for my love of reading memoirs, watching biographical movies, and listening to in-depth interviews, […]
Down But Not Out
“All is well, and every kind of thing will be well.” ~Julian of Norwich The first spring after I moved into my new home a little over three years ago, my friend Diana who lives just five minutes away invited me to go with her to buy pansies. With only a rudimentary familiarity with this […]
