Life is lived in the present but only understood in the past — My daughter Lisa recently texted me on her anniversary and thanked me for her wonderful wedding. Looking back at some of the pictures set in motion a flood of thoughts and memories. She’s now been married as long as her father and I were. Hard to believe. I first got…

What matters? — A daughter was recently complaining that as her mother was cleaning out her grandmother’s home after she passed on, her mom kept asking her about whether she wanted this or that. The salt and pepper collection? The beautiful old linens? How about the china cabinet? No, no, and nope. This…

We’re in a hurry to get things done. — The concept of Living in the Now is having a minute. It’s beginning to put some people off, on the basis that most of us can’t just lollygag around with our heads in the clouds and chant Om for hours to achieve spiritual equilibrium and inner peace. Or whatever. Critics…

It’s never easy to say goodbye — We lost a great guy yesterday — a good friend. Steve was immensely popular amongst our group of friends. All of us are terribly sad. There’s a big, empty place now that will take a long time to fill in. It will fill in, of course. It’s the way of…

And I passed it on — My mother loved music. She was born on May 8, and, I believe, it was Mother’s Day that year. On this Mother’s Day, she would have been 103. I hope you have a wonderful day, Mom. Play the piano, like you taught me. Dance with the moon and stars. …

An irreverent re-mix — I love old sayings, just about as much as I love classic rock. Aren’t they fun? They carry a lot of truth, generally. That’s why they’re still with us. But I decided it would be even more fun to clarify or rewrite some of them, play them in a new…

I miss this little face — Ed had neither fur nor feathers, but he was a special pet. My pet toad. If you already think I’m eccentric, this story isn’t going to help things any. While Ed was, in my opinion, a handsome lad, he was not very interactive, as far as pets go. But he…

Pretending to be someone else is exhausting — It’s upsetting when someone turns out to be different than we thought. Than we counted on them to be. We feel disappointed. Betrayed. Sometimes, we feel afraid. While I have a degree in psychology, I’m not a psychologist. However, just from general observation, I’ve come to believe that people can…

And it’s one of the hardest things we’ll ever do — This is the time of year for graduations, and I recalled a poem I wrote for my oldest daughter’s high school graduation, many years ago, now. I remember those bittersweet feelings so well — with all the love in our hearts, we raise our children to let them go. But…