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About Jack
I am immeasurably sad this autumn evening, this autumn of my life Today I learned that one of my first loves passed away this summer Unequivocally, there is now one less good and kind soul in this world I met Jack at my very first job, a Buxton’s restaurant in New Jersey We were both…
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Soul Train
I am writing, writing on a train. The train is taking me on a journey from New Haven, Connecticut to Williamsburg, Virginia. But actually, it is taking me farther than that. It’s taking me and my daughter to a new time in our lives. You might be able to tell that I’ve been on the…
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A Requiem for my Father
Four years ago, I was reminded just how fragile and tenuous life is when my father passed away a day after Christmas following a brief illness. The preciousness of each day was highlighted for me during that holiday week. Holidays often do not turn out how we plan them. Our lives often do not turn out how…
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Mothers Who Walk
During the course of a work day, I see many mothers with their children, but my heart is most often touched by the Mothers Who Walk. Let me explain. My job keeps me on the road between the early intervention families I visit and my office which is based in a public school. Our little school is pretty special…
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Simple gestures
I have a quote from Rumi posted near my desk at work. It helps me find my center each morning. And, it reminds me of the purpose of each day. “Be a lamp or a lifeboat or a ladder. Help someone’s soul heal. Walk out of the house like a shepherd.” -Rumi Yesterday, I…
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Rock ‘n roll
Sitting on the floor, toys strewn about, in a house not my own. I was with my teaching partner, Marney, when the Earth decided to move. Marney and I only rarely do home visits together, but this past Tuesday, we were sitting on the concrete slab floor of subsidized housing assessing a little boy’s developmental…
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New Year Message in a Bottle
There are poignant but simple lyrics to a children’s song, “make new friends but keep the old, one is silver, but the other gold.” At the beginning of the New Year, I think of memories like that. Cherished old memories are like gold, while shimmery silver new memories are just waiting to be made. Memories,…
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Seasonal Gifts
The transition from summer to fall has always been a difficult one for me. I mourn the loss of summer’s gifts. Beach weather, bare feet in sandals, berry picking with friends, billowy linen shirts, blooming flowers and long summer evenings are all greatly missed. And I am especially wistful when a walk to the town green finds my favorite fountain turned off till next…