Magical Memoir Moments
A Week with Kate: Working and Playing with My Memoir Marketing Director
One of the rewards of intensive parenting of young children is that they grow up to be friends. I love spending time with both my adult children and their families. Last week, I enjoyed the luxury of spending five whole days with my daughter Kate. We both are blessed with flexible schedules, so we can…
Color Me, Beautiful!
Remember the fashion trends of the 80s? Big hair! Big shoulder pads! Neon colors! Leg warmers! The divas were Princess Di, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Cyndi Lauper, Lisa Bonet, and Whitney Houston. And the book Color Me Beautiful by Carole Jackson spent 3-4 years on the New York Times bestseller list. By 1983 it had sold…
The Grandsandwich Generation
Last Sunday after church, I brought my daughter, granddaughter, Mother, and a bowl of cookie batter to my sister Doris’ house. We joined her and her daughter, two granddaughters, and my niece Joyous and her daughter. We had lunch together and then decorated Easter cookies and made chocolate peanut butter eggs. Another way to describe…
“YOU Do Not Have Cancer. WE Have Cancer.”
He found a lump near his ear when he was shaving. He went to the doctor right away and was referred for tests and then to an ENT specialist/surgeon. The doctors said most of these tumors are benign. But to be sure, the surgeon ordered a deep needle biopsy. On Nov. 22 we received the…
The Big Sleepover: Five Nights and Six Days with a Nearly-Five-Year-Old
Last week Lydia stayed at our house while her parents took a week away to celebrate their anniversaries disrupted by Covid (#ten and #eleven) as well as the one coming up in May (#12). This was the first long sleepover for Lydia at our house. A few years ago, we did Grandparent Camp with Owen…
Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode Two
My mother and I tried one second-hand store in the 1960’s. It was dark, the clothing was not attractively presented, and we weren’t sure we wanted anyone to see us go in or out. Second-hand shopping simply meant you couldn’t afford new clothes. There was a stigma attached. Enter 2022. Every town has at least…
Take Your Mother to Work Day: Episode One
You’ve heard of Take Your Daughter to Work Day? Recently, I flipped the script and asked my daughter if she was up for Take Your Mother to Work Day. She was! But before we go to work, a story. Once upon a time there was a girl who loved to shop for clothes with her…
Vintage Dress Photo Shoot at the Home Place
Several weeks after we moved to Lititz, PA, I invited my daughter Kate, granddaughter Lydia, niece Joyous, and her daughter Anna Mary to join me in exploring a pile of vintage clothing I bought in the late 1980s at my Grandpa Hess’ estate sale.The dresses had stayed in closets in Goshen, IN; Kalamazoo, MI; and…
The Crucible of Winter: What Has It Taught You?
“Winter is not the death of the life cycle, but its crucible.” — Katherine May I have been through a very painful winter. Have you too? Today, turning the calendar page today to March 1 felt liberating. Then a walk in balmy, windy, air, listening to birds, looking for crocuses and pansies, admiring the…
My Three Cherished Things: Preserving the Stories that Go With Them
Last week I shared a conversation starter question that ignited a lively discussion. Readers shared three things they most cherished, three things they would clutch in a fire. I promised to share mine. So here goes. My first choice: I was wearing this ring on my right hand while I tried to choose my three…