Exploring one of life's most valuable gifts
Every time I start thinking about planning a trip with friends, my gut knots up as a reminder of all the hoops I have to jump through to make it happen. Forget about the difficulties of agreeing on dates and making reservations. That's not what makes me panic. It's the coordination of work and family... Continue Reading →
Becoming a parent for the first time is like that moment on a roller coaster as it crests the top of the first hill and then just takes off. Forget about getting your bearings, you are just holding on for dear life. The moment your stomach settles there’s another unexpected turn, loop or exhilarating climb.... Continue Reading →
May and June are festive months, with school graduations, wedding ceremonies and other festive moments in full swing. In honor of another type of celebration for my niece Caroline last weekend, I’d like to share a meditation that reminds us of our favorite Mr. Roger’s quote about the importance of what each individual soul can... Continue Reading →
This weekend marks the unofficial start of summer, and for me, that usually signifies the start of voluminous reading season. In a typical year, our family’s schedules begin to wind down in tandem with the weather warming up, but this year has been anything but typical. Thankfully, temperatures are getting milder right on time here... Continue Reading →
At 16, I probably appeared to my peers as if I were ready to take on the world. In the five years since my family had relocated in 1980 from Arlington, Va., to Lexington, Ky., I had gone from being an awkward, insecure sixth grader with remnants of a bowl cut, to a reasonably popular high school sophomore. I had oodles of friends and annoyed my siblings by monopolizing our phone... Continue Reading →
Anyone who has felt the pain of having a dear friend move far away, and I don’t think many of us make it into adulthood without that experience, would be able to relate to the underlying premise of the book Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close. Less relatable might be going to couples... Continue Reading →
As we emerge from our Covid-19 Pandemic cocoons this spring and reignite old friendships, we may find ourselves being a little cautious about forming new ones. Spotting a familiar face at the store or dog park has been tricky when obscured by masks, and don’t even get me started about the challenges of chatting through... Continue Reading →
Have you ever wondered whatever happened to that overachieving kid from your freshman dorm? Or what about that sorority girl who could plan the biggest campus fundraiser of the year, while maintaining a 4.0 GPA and dating the hot frat guy? Well, Hana Schank and Elizabeth Wallace did, and they turned their quest for answers... Continue Reading →
About a month after my college graduation, I found myself sitting in Lexington’s Bluegrass Airport waiting for my flight to Washington DC. My parents were with me, and I tried hard to absorb their familiar loving faces deep into the fabric of my mind. I wanted to be able to call forth their images at... Continue Reading →
In September 2011, everything around me was changing. In the span of a few months, I had given notice at work, packed up my family to move from Chicago to the suburbs, and switched my boys from daycare near work to preschools in our new community. These were all big changes designed to create some semblance of calm in our family, following the start of my older son’s near daily mix of occupational, speech and play therapy after his diagnosis of... Continue Reading →
Language of Friendship 