I have been sitting here staring at a blank slate. From time to time, producing a new piece for this blog each Thursday can be a source of anxiety. Writing for you is a serious responsibility; one I take seriously. Writing here scratches my itch, yet, at the same time, the Widow’s Voice blog imposes […]
Unfinished Business
I awoke from a dream about an old friend, whom I’ve neither seen nor spoken to for many years. I still harbor fond feelings for her, despite the long passage of time. In my dream, I had made up my mind to reach out to her, only to learn (somehow) that she had died. In […]
Harbingers
As I’ve mentioned here, our weather has been unusually nice for the past several months. The mild temperatures have persisted into early November, though the local weather forecasters predict that the weather gods’ largesse is about to end. I’ve taken advantage of our good fortune to stay ahead of late Fall’s numbing, cold rains, continuous […]
Officially Nearing the End
I basically stopped working as a lawyer soon after Lee passed away from cancer. It has been more than five years. Now, I feel the time has come to discuss my “official” retirement with the two principals at the law firm where Eric and I landed after we voluntarily closed our own firm. Back then, […]
A Walk in the Park
Early Saturday morning, a friend came by my house. It was already shaping up as another glorious Fall day. The sun shone and the sky was blue. Despite the early hour, the air temperature was unseasonably mild, as had been the case even before the recent official change of seasons. We took advantage of the […]
In a Nick of Time
Ordinarily, I write my blog contributions on Wednesday for publication on Thursday. However, yesterday I spent a good chunk of time completing a draft of a special project I have been preparing for several weeks. Like a thirsty steer inexorably drawn to water, yesterday I felt compelled to finish that task. And by the time […]
When Art Is a Poor Imitation of Life
The other night, I stayed up later than usual to watch the multiple Oscar-nominated film, “Terms of Endearment.” It’s a film based on Larry McMurtry’s book, with one significant difference: The film adds a major character — the middle-aged, former astronaut Garrett Breedlove (played to perfection by Jack Nicholson, who won the Oscar for Best […]
Family Business
I hadn’t seen Paul and Joanne since their grandson’s birthday party in July, so I was looking forward to having lunch together this past Wednesday. They were both looking fit, I thought, having obviously lost weight since our last encounter. I made a mental note that each had left a few forkfuls of food on […]
Prayers in Honor of the Dead
This is the time of year when Jewish people celebrate the High Holy Days, which include Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year) and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement). Since at least the fourteenth century, they have followed a custom known in Hebrew as Kever Avot, meaning “grave of the fathers,” where they offer graveside prayers in […]
School Daze
Tuesday marked the start of the tutoring year. Zoey and I had been scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. Based on the last two years, I can say she is an eager student and a person who strives to excel academically. I’m happy to push her hard. In these respects, Zoey is different from the […]
Take Me Out to the Ballgame
The first weekend of the professional football season is now complete. As has been the case for far too many seasons, my team melted down just when it mattered most, coming up short against a hated rival. In the immediate aftermath, I halfheartedly listen to the angry, postgame blowback of fans on sports radio, which […]
Step Right This Way
I have been putting together a proposal for a 2-hour tour of one of the world’s coolest neighborhoods. At least that’s how Time Out describes the neighborhood where I live. To me, it is simply the place where I have chosen to spend most of my adult life. Describing it as one of the world’s […]