Recently, I was involved in, or rather witnessed, a conversation between my dad and one of our children that defines intergenerational differences. It started like this: We shared dinner and talked about experiences returning to work after COVID. This is…
China just rang in the Lunar New Year. As a nation, they are stuck in a dark loop of the coronavirus, with this looking more like the year of the groundhog rather than the year of the rabbit. China is…
I recently went on a long-awaited holiday. My husband of 30 years, Jay, and I had postponed our anniversary trip to Europe because of COVID. While in London, we attended an evening concert at an Episcopal Church. We arrived early,…
My mother, Nancy Giles, died suddenly in the summer of 2021. To those who knew her, Nan had many varied interests; however, the Leelanau Township Library was one place where she showed a particular devotion. Aside from being an enthusiastic…
I recently celebrated my 30th wedding anniversary. That day, in the late summer of 1992, seems both long ago and just like yesterday. However, when I began to think about the general quality of life in 1992 it seems like…
I’ll admit that I have a long time friend whom I’ve been tempted to cancel. At a recent college reunion we disagreed over current events, and societal problems. Weren’t able to persuade one another to see the other’s perspective –…
Growing up, one mantra in our family was with privilege comes responsibility. By now this is a deeply ingrained personal principle – and one I cannot help but feel fits the recent Supreme Court Decision to end Roe v Wade.…
June is a traditional time for graduations; a ritual that once was a formulaic part of American life. Happy graduates filing in line to receive diplomas and handshakes, as proud families look on. This was a well-engrained part our culture…
The Center for Disease Control recently released some very frightening views of the mental health of adolescents in the United States. This new CDC data shows that almost half of high school students reported they “persistently felt sad or hopeless…
I have a reoccurring dream that someone knocks on my door and tells me there is an “emergency!” I have to leave my house immediately. I never see who issues me the warning, but once awake my dream causes me…