Children thrive on ritual. Just think back to your own childhood. Did you recite the same prayer every night before falling asleep? What about asking your mother to read the same book over and over again “just one more time”? … Continue reading →
“A house needs a grandma in it.”—Louisa May Alcott Nonna Anna stepped into my seven-year-old life with laughter, love, and lore. As the day of her arrival from Italy approached, my heart swelled with excitement and anticipation. It would be … Continue reading →
My mother-in-law was a wise woman. Once, when my husband and his older brother were young children, they had a terrible argument. As a means of helping them resolve their differences, my mother-in-law made each of her two boys wash … Continue reading →
“A teacher affects eternity.” ~ Henry Adams Almost always she wore a simple black dress, but the black only made her gentle, smiling face shine ever more brightly. A splash of white trimmed her hemline for, almost always, her slip … Continue reading →
As a young child of nine years old, I listened intently, wide-eyed with delight, as my father read the lilting verse from the musty, second-hand volume of The Oxford Book of English Verse. How his voice danced with the rhythm … Continue reading →
When my daughter announced that she and her husband were planning to adopt a child, I was both delighted and concerned. Delighted because I had been looking forward to being a grandmother. Concerned because I knew nothing about adoption and … Continue reading →