The last two weeks have taken our collective American breath away. No, I’m not referring to the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial, sensational and juicy as that is. I’m referring to Uvalde, Texas. I have forced myself to watch all the coverage of the 19 precious fourth graders, and I’ve let the tears come. Just like… Continue reading Bracha Levatla

Decades ago, as a young working mother, I was always trying to cram 25 hours into every single day. I felt as if I was always shortchanging someone—a client, a colleague, my husband, or, most importantly, my kids. One morning as I was driving to preschool, my toddler daughter Anna suddenly squealed from her car… Continue reading Two funerals and a tree

When you drive a late model car and your Aux cord doesn’t work, a collection of CDs in the center console is critical. My passengers are often surprised to note that, in that dark cave, Dan Fogelberg, Spice Girls, Chopin and Meghan Trainor can co-exist peacefully. On a long commute recently, I was reminded that… Continue reading Life Changing Punctuation

On a whim, my husband and I went to see the movie Coda the evening before it won the Best Picture Oscar. There have been so many years that I’ve been disappointed with the winner, but this year got it right. What a powerful movie about growing up as the only hearing person in a… Continue reading Touchstones

A few weeks ago, while shopping for a baby gift, I noticed the array of colorful growth charts. I was immediately transported to our former kitchen doorway, notched in inches and smudged with pencil marks. I smiled, recalling the day I discovered my daughter lining up her friends to be measured on the doorframe. It… Continue reading The Conductor’s Baton

I am a Sex in the City afficionado. Although I could not relate in the slightest to the women, their wardrobes, their sex-capades or their lifestyles, the witty repartee drew me in. Honestly, I always wanted to be a New York novelist, writing from my brownstone window, as Carrie Bradshaw does. So, I was delighted… Continue reading Resurrection

Each winter, I wonder how many brain cells I surrender to central heating. With my sinuses growing ever drier as I huddle indoors, I find my mind playing tricks on itself. My brain, like my body, longs for sunshine and outdoor activities. Amidst the gloomy gray of these January days, perhaps what we need is… Continue reading The Umbrella

Each year, as I struggle through winter, I wonder when I'll remember to buy a sunlight therapy light. Maybe next year, I tell myself as I count down the days until spring. Just before Christmas, literary aficionados everywhere lost a brilliant writer: Joan Didion, whose life was etched with an unthinkable series of tragedies. This… Continue reading Winter’s Promise

We have made it to the new year, and already I’ve broken one of my resolutions. I’m in good company: Although over 45 percent of Americans make resolutions, only 8 percent keep them. I did a little research and found out that the tradition of making resolutions dates back to the Babylonians. More recently, John… Continue reading The Sandpiper’s Conundrum

I recently heard of a young theology student who was told, upon entering class, that everyone would sit quietly for ten minutes at the beginning. This was unnerving to him, as it would be to so many of us who are hot-wired to multi-task, to move. This story hit home because I realized lately that… Continue reading The Sounds of Silence