Paying Respects @WTC

March 14th, 2012
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On a bright and beautiful Sunday morning this past weekend in New York City, I finally had an opportunity to visit the memorial site for the World Trade Center.

With my brother, sister-in-law and their 12-year-old daughter, we took a taxi to the 8-acre site in lower Manhattan where the infamous Twin Towers once stood.  The site is deceiving because construction fences surround the area and you can’t see the two black stone squares containing the waterfalls or even hear the waterfalls from the road.  It just looks like a regular construction site.

Getting to the memorial site is a … Read More

Something To Think About

March 1st, 2012
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In the midst of your grieving, be patient with yourself and others   and   do something kind for yourself each day.   Be sure to ask for help when you need it.   You are loved!… Read More

Meryl Streep & Margaret Thatcher

February 25th, 2012
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When Hollywood hands out its little gold statuettes tomorrow night, we’ll find out how The Academy voted on the nomination of Meryl Streep and her empathetic performance in the role of Margaret Thatcher as a politician and a wife.  The story is primarily about a British woman attaining so much power in the 1980’s that she became Britian’s first woman prime minister. But the movie is also a love story and a reminder that no matter how high the government position you are elected to, no matter how much money you make, no matter how much privilege surrounds you, human… Read More

Saying ‘I Love You’

February 23rd, 2012
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There is a lot of talk about living in the moment.  Staying in the moment.  Seizing the moment.  I constantly remind myself to practice these ideals.  Sometimes I achieve it and other times I don’t.  But author Jeffrey Zaslow got the concept and seemed to truly live it.  What an interesting and inspiring man!  Please read this beautiful story about Jeffrey Zaslow that recently ran in the New York Times.  Reporter Tara Parker-Poe says it so much better than I ever could: February 13, 2012, 5:37 pm Life’s Frailty, and the Gestures That Go a Long Way By TARA PARKER-POPE    … Read More

Take Good Care Of My Heart

February 14th, 2012
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Courtesy of United States Postal Service Decades ago, the CEOs of florist, chocolate and card companies must have been having a long liquid lunch and launched the ingenious idea of launching a fun holiday called Valentine’s Day. Valentine’s Day happens to be one of those holidays that has never been a big deal to me because it always feels forced.  I don’t want someone to give me chocolates, flowers or a card because they feel they have to do what everyone else is doing.  It means a lot more to me when the person I’m romantically involved with comes up… Read More

Good Karma

January 27th, 2012
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Photo by Eileen Milner I am not a Buddhist but I do believe in karma. Building up good karma in the great big ‘ole universe of spirituality reminds me of what Catholics think of as corporal and spiritual works of mercy.  Karma is the universal law of cause and effect.  Most people try to do good deeds because it makes them feel they have helped someone else and also because it’s the right thing to do. When it comes to doing bad things, we all try our best to minimize the bad karma we put out there.  It sounds so… Read More

Christmas Sighting Of A Loved One

December 26th, 2011
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In the hustle and bustle of eating, talking and being with my wonderful family yesterday on Christmas Day, I received a unexpected present that I think others who have lost loved ones will be able to identify with.  Maybe this has happened to you but you didn’t tell anyone else about it because you figured they would give you that look that says, “Okayyyyy. Rigghhhttttt.” My son and I were at my parents house and all of my siblings, nieces, nephews were gathered to celebrate Christmas.  There was lots of activity — electronic and human — and everyone was enjoying… Read More

Holiday Mental Health

December 22nd, 2011
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New York Daily News Photo The holidays are all around us and sometimes it feels as though the songs, the decorations and even the food are reminders of the beloved people we lost. This time of year can be especially difficult for those of us in search of a place of peace.  We quietly ache for the presence of a particular person we loved and grieve for while we also try to live in this season of celebration. If you feel as though you are at that point of bearing too much, it’s okay to take a break from your… Read More

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

December 15th, 2011
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Songs can be powerful time machines.  Sometimes all it takes is hearing the first few notes or strands of a melody and YOU ARE THERE. It is amazing to me how a song has the uncanny ability to mentally fast track you to a place you haven’t thought about in years. Recently, I was driving my car home in the oh so unpleasant nightly commute of bumper to bumper traffic on Connecticut Avenue. I found myself pushing the radio buttons over and over because there were so many commercials playing and I was getting annoyed.  Yada, yada, yada. I was… Read More