Hosting An Asylum Seeker
I’ve given a name to the initial phase in hosting any stranger in your home, for surely most come in as strangers. It’s simply: “What is this stranger doing in my kitchen?” The name comes easily — I actually had … Read More
My Annual Christmas Eve Post for 2020
Many of my friends here in Vermont see winter as a time to pull out the skis, the sleds, the toboggans and hit the hills. Not me. Over the past few decades, I’ve come to see winter as a time … Read More
Confronting Racism Part I: When Did You First Become Aware of Your Race?
What a great poster this protester carried. Treat Racism like CoViD 19, it declared: Assume you have it. Listen to experts about it. Don’t spread it. Be willing to change your life to end it. And it’s that fourth one … Read More
Changing My Focus
Remember this? This was my original website header back when I began in 2013, thanks to my friend Anne McKinsey. I still love those colors, though I’ve since learned the difference between calling myself a writer and calling myself an … Read More
Starting Over
And So It Goes is trying a new tack in 2018. First, a song. Songs have power over me. They help me recall moments I’d otherwise forget and they lift my mood (or lower it) as needed. Here’s a perky … Read More
How Are You?
“How are you?” These past few weeks when asked how I am, I’ve been struck by how easy it is to fall back on that socially acceptable, “Fine, thanks. How are you?” It’s the polite response, we say here in … Read More
He’s My Brother
This is the story of how I got a new baby brother, 50 years late. Ever meet someone and immediately you know you’ve made a connection? There’s chemistry, some say. Others claim it’s finding something in common that binds you. … Read More
In Memory of Ian Mathie
Ian Mathie, a frequent commenter here, an infrequent Skype friend, and a constant source of encouragement and really bad email jokes, has died. We are awaiting an official statement from his family; all I know currently is that he died on Tuesday, May … Read More
My Cuba Trip: The Post View
Cuba is a country filled with “what might have been.” It’s a beautiful country, we’ve all heard that, surrounded with beautiful beaches and filled with beautiful people. But, it breathes a constant, “What might have been.” Cuba is also … Read More