Anna Quindlen

  • Anna Quindlen,  Inspirational quotes,  relationships

    Glittering magical moments

    “Life is made up of moments, small pieces of glittering mica in a long stretch of gray cement. It would be wonderful if they came to us unsummoned, but particularly in lives as busy as the ones most of us lead now, that won’t happen. We have to teach ourselves how to make room for them, to love them, and to live, really live.” ~Anna Quindlen, A Short Guide to a Happy Life At the close of a busy summer, many of us like to review the highlights of the season. We might focus on the major milestones — weddings, graduations, birthdays, retirement parties, or family vacations. Likewise, when we chronicle…

  • Anna Quindlen,  Domestic arts,  Humor

    “Lost & Found” department

    “If you want something, it will elude you. If you do not want something, you will get ten of it in the mail.” ~Anna Quindlen Today’s quote makes me smile every time I remember it. It applies to every type of item you can name, from misplaced reading glasses to a hard-to-find ingredient for a recipe. Right now, I’m thinking of a new novel I’d purchased but couldn’t locate anywhere in the house. Of course, it wasn’t on the shelf where I usually keep new books — and I didn’t find it until I’d lost interest in reading it. As Anna Quindlen suggests, the best way to find something —…

  • Anna Quindlen,  Events & news,  Health & wellbeing,  Home & Family,  Parenting advice

    Book banning

    “Ideas are only lethal if you suppress and don’t discuss them. Ignorance is not bliss, it’s stupid. Banning books shows you don’t trust your kids to think and you don’t trust yourself to be able to talk to them.” ~Anna Quindlen Last night, I had the pleasure of working at one of my favorite local libraries. Before my class started, I enjoyed a quiet moment, browsing the shelves and absorbing the ambiance created by so many literary choices. And then I thought about all the recent talk on TV about book banning. As my mother used to say, you can make just about anything twice as attractive or interesting by…

  • Anna Quindlen,  Home & Family,  Parenting advice

    Here and now

    “I wish I had not been in such a hurry to get on to the next thing. Dinner. Bath. Book. Bed. I wish I had treasured the doing a little more and the getting it done a little less.” ~Anna Quindlen A short overnight visit with our two-year-old grandson this week reminded me, again, how important it is to savor the moments we spend with children. I remembered his father’s toddler years (“Dinner, bath, book, bed”) and how quickly they flew. Too often, as Anna Quindlen points out, we neglect to savor the routines and rituals that anchor our lives. There’s always “the next thing” on our to-do lists. Childhood…