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At Home Again
I was given my first camera at sixteen. I lived in Greece where I was born. It was a 35 mm Nikon FG. I still have it. I remember when I first held it in my hands – filled with anticipation and excitement. A good friend of mine was a professional and passionate photographer. He took me under his wing, taught me how to use my camera, and helped me develop a different kind of vision. On a lazy Sunday afternoon, we went downtown Athens, cameras on hand. We walked around and got lost inside streets and neighborhoods I hadn’t known existed. I began to look around me with a different…
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Endings and New Beginnings
Last night, we took down our Christmas tree. We tend to leave our tree up as long as we can. There’s something about the glow of twinkling lights that warms up a room and makes everything feel cozy and safe. When we put the tree up, the girls, Neal and I work together. We always do. It’s our family ritual. We put Christmas music on, string the lights, and debate on whether to use fairy lights – my personal favorite – or colorful ones – the girls’ and Neal’s favorites. It’s a battle I lose every year. The girls find fairy lights boring. Once the lights are strung, we begin to…
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Connecting the Dots
“You have to be able to be happy in your own company,” he says. He appears to be in his seventies and he’s sitting with a younger woman. We’re at the mall where I brought my daughters and a friend of theirs for shopping. I’m not interested in shopping but I don’t want to drive home and back again. I decide to stay, have a cup of coffee, watch the world go by, and maybe write. As I sit down and make myself comfortable I can’t help but listen to his words. Maybe I hear them because they hold meaning for me. I know people who are terrified of being alone.…
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Let it Be Light!
Yesterday, we celebrated the Winter Solstice. Today, we’re well on our journey to let the light fill our days once again. No matter what your beliefs are and how you choose to celebrate this season, we all share this moment in time – the time when we’re turning towards the light. I hope you take this moment to pause and breathe in the light, love, and peace that’s yours. This light, this love makes the best offerings. Share them with all! Thank you for being present with me over the years! Thank you for opening your heart and sharing your gifts with me. I am truly grateful! May joy, hope, good…
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Winds of Change – On Pillows and Such
I noticed her as I walked by. She must have been in her late seventies. She was being helped by a young woman and they were discussing pillows. She was trying to choose new ones for her couch. I soon found what I wanted and headed to another part of the store, then to the register to check out. The older woman was already there, completing her purchase of two pillows. As she was getting ready to leave, she turned to me and the young woman at the register and said . . . “I needed some color – a change. I’ve lived in the same living room for as long…
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‘Twas the Evening Before Halloween
The snow began falling early afternoon, on the Saturday before Halloween. By early evening we had lost electricity. Sunday morning, we woke up to an altered landscape. We took a ride in search of hot tea and coffee and as we drove through town, we couldn’t believe our eyes. There were trees split in half, lying on snow-covered lawns. The roads, sidewalks, and open spaces were covered with broken branches and fallen trees. The snowstorm came unexpectedly and hit hard. The temperature dropped sharply before the trees had the chance to prepare for winter. The weight of the wet, heavy snow proved too much to bear and the trees fell. The…
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The Yellow Raincoat
The girls were sitting on the bench, waiting for their turn to join their team on the field. It was a rainy, chilly afternoon. “There is my mom,” one of them said. “Where?” the other asked. “Do you see this woman in the yellow raincoat? My mom is right next to her!” the first one answered. The girl looked in that direction and put her face in her hands “Oh, no,” she whispered. “What’s up?” the first one asked. “That’s MY mom in the yellow raincoat. I don’t know what’s gotten into her with this neon yellow raincoat.” My daughter doesn’t approve of my yellow raincoat. This is not the first…
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What’s Cooking?
Have I mentioned that cooking is something I truly enjoy? It’s one of the activities that keep me grounded and give me a great sense of satisfaction. The only exception being, when I entertain. I’m still working on letting go, accepting what is, and surrendering to the process when I take care of other people. I have this unhealthy habit of taking too much responsibility for other people’s experiences. Call it control, a constant effort to look good, a heightened sense of perfectionism, or all of the above. Whatever it is, I’ve been watching it for years and I’m happy to report there is progress in the making. I didn’t use…
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It’s About the Chocolate
I’m sitting at my favorite cafe and writing spot; a cup of hot coffee and a morning glory muffin next to me. It’s raining pretty heavily, puddles of water already forming on the sidewalk. There’s the steady hum of the fans above, the chatter of a handful of people ordering coffee and joking with the owner, light jazz coming through the speakers. On my way here, I drove by the post office to mail a letter and decided to circle back by the Middle School, on my way to Washington. The school is in session and the streets were quiet. I drove by slowly, looking at the school when, suddenly, it…
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At Home
“The beach is truly home, its broad expanse of sand as welcoming as a mother’s open arms. This landscape, which extends as far as the eye can see, always reminds me of possibility. It is here I can listen to my inner voice, shed inhibitions, move to the rhythms of the waves, and ask the universe unanswerable questions.” Joan Anderson from “A Walk on the Beach” Having been born in a small country surrounded by water, I spent much of my time as a child and young adult by the sea. Joan Anderson’s words resonate deeply. The beach is home for me, especially in the early morning and early evening hours…
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Beyond the Obvious
On the fourth day, after Irene struck, we got power back. It was a moment of celebration and relief mixed in with survivor’s guilt. We finally had access to the news and were able to see the images of the devastation Irene had inflicted. I couldn’t get them out of my head. As the surge of excitement subsided, I realized how tired I was. Yet, things had to be taken care of. The refrigerator, for once, needed to be purged and scrubbed. The floors needed to be vacuumed and the laundry sorted. I made a pot of Earl Grey tea and sat on my favorite chair on the deck to enjoy…
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Stargazing
On the fourth day after Irene struck, we got our power back. It was a moment of celebration and relief mixed in with survivor’s guilt. We finally had access to the news and were able to see the images of the devastation Irene had inflicted. I couldn’t get them out of my head. As the surge of excitement subsided, I realized how tired I was. Yet, things had to be taken care of. The refrigerator needed to be purged and scrubbed. The house needed to be vacuumed and the laundry sorted. I made a pot of Earl Grey tea and sat on my favorite chair on the deck to enjoy it.…
