There were many rules in my family but one of the most important was don’t get pregnant before you get married. My sisters and I were to present the perfect picture at all times. Don’t shame the family. I may have been in New Mexico, 1400 miles from my parents in Michigan, but those rules were like blood in my veins. I was a twenty year old mess, drinking heavily, trying to get through college, waitressing and scrambling for money for rent, food, health care, tuition and book

I am weary. Over the past year and a half, on top of the pandemic, my family was hit with medical emergencies that were out of control. I suffered a back injury as I leaned down to pick up laundry (lesson learned!) The pain was like nothing I had ever experienced. The other issues were even more serious. I am weary because Russia is a nightmare, women's rights are in more danger than ever and here we are, fighting with each other and arguing, and it's all too much. It's all t

A worldwide pandemic. That is what we have all been through together. The whole world. That still amazes me. We know that people have had varied experiences during this massive upheaval of our lives. Yet all of us experienced the pandemic at the same time. We are going through the recovery at the same time. That fact fascinates me. I think of future generations and the stories we will tell. Remember the beginning? Shock. Fear. Confusion. Finally, acceptance that we had to sta

As I struggled to find words for my sorrow, Lisa's email arrived. She said it better than I could. I would like to share her words with you. (I added the photos.) This is a guest post from Annalisa Gibbs, Founder and CEO of Eden’s Farm, Pittsburgh. If you would like to find out more about Eden's Farm, please see link below. Dear Friends, I write to you now after about thirty-six hours since the shooting in Atlanta. I am of Asian descent. I am Thai American. I stumble here no

“Everyone lies in the ER.” That statement stayed in my head long after the fear, panic and state of emergency had lessened. It seems as if we all end up in an emergency room at some point in our lives, either as the person in agony, or the advocate for said person. We recently had two very serious emergencies which led to frantic rushing to emergency rooms. The first to a city hospital. The second to hospital closer to home. As afternoon passed into evening on the day of the

With the shutdown of the country came the shutdown of my writing. I have published exactly two blog posts and one magazine article since THE PANDEMIC. That is not a great amount. Everything else I start to write seems so trivial or else so horrible that it would take pages to delve into even one particular subject out of so many. Today, I opened a new document to make yet another attempt at creativity and inspiration, with perhaps a dash of wit. This is me, trying to write. I

Hey #NotAllMen We never said it was all men. And if you heard that, it’s not the majority. But the majority wants you to shut up. #NotAllMen You have not earned the privilege you think you have; to mansplain every fucking thing to us. Even our own realities. Especially our own realities. #NotAllMen Stop interrupting us; stop inserting your voice into our conversations. Your mouths need to close. #NotAllMen You must stop with your ridiculous need to not-let-us-get-a-word- In-w

Healthy, happy families, and they do exist, are not really worrying about the upcoming Holidays except to plan food, gifts and events. Although there may be some stress concerning budgeting, travel arrangements or amounts of this or that for meals, overall, they are anticipating the holidays with delight. They want to see relatives, and they look forward to catching up, laughing, visiting and exchanging ideas. Unhealthy families do not anticipate holidays with pleasure. Unhea

Don’t you know yet? It is your light that lights the worlds. - Rumi Deep inside of you is a light. You were born with this light. It is pure, clear and true. It is who you are. Someone or “more than one” may have tried to dim or snuff out your light a long time ago or even recently, but it remains at your core, ready to light up your life. This light is your inner spirit. It is the essence of you. It is this amazing part of you that is resilient, strong, beautiful and loving.

I grew up believing that The United States of America was the greatest country in the world. It felt strong and comforting to me, even as I navigated the rocky terrain of the women’s movement and fought for women’s rights. Thankfully, I did not grow up in a racist home, though, in reality, our neighborhood was white and I did not have much exposure to other cultures or races until I attended high school, then college. But, my parents were intelligent and bestowed me with the

(Updated 2019) In 2011, I finally made it to see the Anne Frank House. Having read every version of her diary, I have always felt connected to this amazing young woman who kept a record of the reality of the Holocaust that has been shared with millions. The house where Anne and her family and friends hid from the Nazis is now the Anne Frank House Museum. I had wanted to see this for 30 years by the time I had a chance to visit. The original building was saved and a museum add