A Look in the Mirror

Recently I came across some remarks that were very critical of me.  They appeared in a public forum, and other people soon chimed in, offering their own thoughts (based on only partial information).  What made the remarks really sting was that they originated with a person who is not actually a friend, but – because of her work, because we know the same people and she lives in an area I often visit – I expected to meet her eventually, and I thought we’d like each other.

Of course, I encounter criticism from time to time.  Somebody takes issue with something I’ve written, or doesn’t like a book or article.  Someone who is acquainted with me in my personal life disagrees with something I’ve done.  But I am generally impervious to that type of criticism.  Everyone is entitled to an opinion, and what someone else thinks is his or her business, not mine.

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Untying the Knots

The past few days I’ve been tied in knots, consumed with worry and anxiety.  This is uncharacteristic for me, but it happens sometimes.  The worry had taken over my mind to the point I couldn’t even meditate, which is generally the best tool in my sanity toolbox. I had temporarily lost my center, that clear connection to my higher self and my inner peace.

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Bob Dylan Turns 70

Bob Dylan turned seventy years old yesterday.  How on earth did that happen? If Dylan is now officially an old man, then that makes me…well,  old enough to have been listening to him since the beginning.

At the end of ABC News this afternoon, broadcast from the scene of tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri, Bob Dylan’s Shelter from the Storm played over photographs of the devastation.  In fact, for half a century, Dylan’s songs have been telling the stories of  American lives.

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Cleaning House

Recently I helped my daughter clean up the bedroom occupied by my 8 and 11-year-old grandsons.  I considered donning tyvek overalls and putting Vicks on my upper lip, as they do in the forensic shows on television, but when I got there it really wasn’t too bad.  Smelled a bit of small boy feet, but mainly there were layers upon layers of stuff, wall to wall.  As we worked, we joked that we felt like archeologists, unearthing layers of a civilization.

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Mother’s Day Reflections


Being a mother is a pretty complicated undertaking, no matter who you are or how you do it. I woke up this morning thinking about it, and wondering how I could possibly write anything meaningful on the subject in only a few paragraphs. When I reflect on my life as a mother, and the lives of mothers everywhere, my mind is filled with a million different thoughts. But it’s an important subject, certainly the center of my life, so I’m going to give it a shot.

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The Royal Wedding… Why the Obsession?

Have you noticed? It’s impossible to watch television, listen to the radio, or surf around the Internet for longer than a few minutes without encountering mention of tomorrow’s royal wedding. The impending nuptials of Prince William and Kate Middleton seem to have captivated people all over the English-speaking world.

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