Around this time each year, I make numerous charitable contributions to causes that were near and dear to Lee’s kind heart. It’s a way for me to honor her that makes me feel like we are still sharing. *** For example, even before Lola the pup came into my life, Lee and I were stalwarts […]
Winter Arrives Early
After I had bragged here about months of unseasonably nice weather at home, Robyn and I just returned from a glorious week on a beach in the Dominican Republic to find eight inches of snow on the ground with temperatures hovering in the low twenties. Snow and the trailing bitter cold constituted a one-two punch. […]
Seasonal Gifts
Lee’s brother, Paul, called yesterday to invite me to share Thanksgiving with him, Joanne, one of their grown boys, Andy, and Andy’s brood. He brought me up to date on Joe’s successful, recently completed Fall tour with his current musical group, the oddly named “Olllam.” Joe is Paul and Joanne’s other grown son. According to […]
The Written Word
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 […]