At Congregation Beth Shalom of the Blue Hills I sit by the gallery’s fireplace with Lila Rosenbaum, 86. Sunshine warms our backs from the wall-high windows and she speaks of finally “having a home.” The 9,500 square foot temple is tucked to the side of an open field by a stand of old growth trees […]
[Photo: At EBWW conference, Suzette with Gina Barreca, author and professor of English and Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut. Suzette is wearing the “tribal mask” for loud, smart, funny women. Thanks for the gift, Gina!) A smart, competent female writer stood up to share her thoughts. “I’m sorry to take up the time…I’m […]
When Mike Foley was a child and lost something, his mother would say, “It’s just stuff.” However, when he lost a marriage, a job, and three generations’ worth of family heirlooms, it’s not easy. Yet at age 69, the former lieutenant with the Boston Fire Department is not bitter. “I’m not in charge, I leave […]
What a slog to change your inner scenery. For Christians, Lent can be a time for testing spiritual character. I’m somewhere in between that and a second chance at a failed new year’s resolution. With change, a hopeful landscape blooms. I think of this time as a spiritual awakening to a stronger-and-improved you, which originates […]
I’ll never understand people who marry on Valentine’s Day. Years ago, my daughter wouldn’t listen because traipsing down a red carpet in white lace is a princess story in ultimate romance. But like Cinderella, it’s missing a shoe. Succeeding Valentine anniversaries limp along, loaded with hidden emotional and financial costs. This is fair warning against […]