On a bleak, 3-degree New York winter’s day several weeks ago, I buried a relative by marriage.  As my husband was a pallbearer, I drove to the cemetery with my brother-in-law, who muttered repeatedly under his breath, like a mantra, “Please, let them not take us up right up to the hole.”   My own family [...]

Life can be overwhelming.  It relentlessly pursues even those who attempt to hide from it.  Today, life encompasses an aggregation of personal, professional, social, and familial commitments.  And, given the impact of technology, life moves at an ever-increasing pace.

Symbolic of this fact is the earbud and its omnipresence.  Go into any crowded public place, and [...]

I’m No Social Butterfly

Learning to be social is an art that begins at an early age.   Social beings, like ants and lions, almost every human being craves a strong social network. Few of us wish to be perceived as social outcasts and quite frankly, it feels good to be liked by others.   As school children, we [...]

Death is a cold, hard fact of life.  As painful as it is to part with a loved one we will never again see in this lifetime, those of us who are blessed discover that, once the initial grieving period passes, our dearly departed find ways of communicating with us beyond the grave.  How we [...]

New Orleans has its Mardi Gras, replete with the famous beads tossed from balconies and colorful floats denoting no less than twenty different parades devoted to the day, but Italy has its Carnevale.  Heralding the beginning of the Lenten season that ushers in Easter, it is the biggest and most celebrated festival of the year [...]

Why do we keep tripping over the same rug, knocking our knee on the same bedpost, or forgetting to swab the lint out of the dryer trap?  Are we all incompetent imbeciles?  Of course we aren’t.  We view these things are little minor annoyances to be endured until we …

Take a bad tumble
Have to ice [...]

My friends and I grew up in a culturally diverse neighborhood in South Philadelphia, near the intersection of 10th and Ritner Streets.  Our childhood occurred during the Great Depression, a time of immense want for so many people.  Somehow, though, I remember it with fondness, as do my friends.  In the ’30’s (that would be [...]

Identity theft is rampant and escalating.  It is a crime whose impact is often disastrous and life altering.  To protect yourself against the potentiality of victimization, never let your guard down.   Check all of your bills frequently for charges you never made.  And consider taking the steps below to safeguard you and your family [...]

As the title suggests, I am a survivor.  Having sustained a marriage for the past twenty-plus years, I intend to keep on surviving, and for that reason, have used a pseudonym at the end of this article.  Those of you now calling me “Chicken!” have either never inherited in-laws or are in deep denial of [...]

The other night, en route home from work, I decided to stop at a diner to pick up dinner.  It’s a popular diner on heavily trafficked Route 1, a familiar place where I’ve eaten a number of times.  The sun had set, so it was dark, and the cold and wind were biting.  Small white [...]