Magical Memoir Moments

The perfect granny picture. We're reading a giant Richard Scarry book.

Three Things Every Grandparent Learns Again and Every Wise Parent Knows

Today’s post was going to be about children and memoir storytelling. I had it all set up like this: The post would be the third in a series of how my grandchildren are my spiritual teachers. The first post (2011) was about learning attention and proprioception (awareness of the body) from a baby. The second…

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Richard Gilbert’s Memoir Shepherd: A Masterpiece of Rumination

Did you know that there are 150 ruminant species living on earth? Sheep, goats, and cattle, however, play a special role. About 10,000 years ago they helped bring us agriculture and the familiar landscape of pastures and meadows. I learned that fact from one of my favorite guides to memoir, Richard Gilbert, whose posts and…

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Mother and me on the deck, Spring, 2014

57 Varieties of Wisdom: Sooner or Later, We All Quote Our Mothers (and Fathers)

As I intimated in my last post, the response to my Facebook query asking for examples of sayings from parents was amazing. Fifty-seven responses in all, counting multiple entries and conversations about entries. Then my Facebook friend Linda Hoye posted a Mary Englebreit painting featuring these words: “Sooner or Later, We All Quote Our Mothers.”…

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August 2, 1969

The Frugal Traveler: A Mini-Memoir

The pattern started on our honeymoon, 1969, 40 years ago.  Stuart had $600 in his checking account when we got married.  I spent all the money I earned that summer– the summer of my 21st birthday, the summer of Woodstock and the moon landing, and the summer of our wedding– on the wedding dress, flowers,…

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