Christian Science Monitor
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The family columnist
“We worry about what a child will become tomorrow, yet we forget that he is someone today.” ~Stacia Tauscher Using our kids as fodder for Facebook, Instagram, or blog posts is hardly new. Rare are the parents (or grandparents) who don’t share adorable photos of their kids and celebrate their latest achievements online. Before social media took over, I wrote a family column for our local newspapers. Since I was a work-at-home mom, my Sunday column topics often included details about my school-aged son. So it was a thought-provoking exercise for me to revisit those column-writing days in an essay I wrote a few years ago for The Christian Science…
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Big cheers for “Barbie”
“Barbie always represented the fact that a woman has choices.” ~Ruth Handler, creator of the Barbie doll Like many girls in the 1960s, I owned Mattel’s Barbie and Ken dolls and their vast miniature empire of accessories. The dolls inspired countless hours of creative play — and I’d even go so far as to say that Barbie influenced my writing career as well as my lifelong passion for shoes and clothing. Unlike other dolls of my era, Barbie had options beyond housekeeping and motherhood. The sky was the limit for Barbie. Don’t forget that Mattel launched Astronaut Barbie in 1965 — years before there was a real female in NASA’s…
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Revisiting Walden
“If one advances confidently in the direction of his dreams, and endeavors to live the life which he has imagined, he will meet with a success unexpected in common hours.” ~Henry David Thoreau, Walden Henry David Thoreau’s Walden tops my list of life-changing literature. It didn’t grab me the first time around. But after reading it a second time, I understood everything Thoreau was trying to tell me. I wanted to learn more about this eccentric man who revered nature, wrote for social justice, and treasured solitude. His writings challenged to keep moving “in the direction of my dreams,” even when it wasn’t easy. After visiting Walden Pond in Concord,…
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Holiday Rerun: “Thrift Shop Angel”
“In almost every situation, there are ways that we can fly higher, at fuller wingspan.” ~Marianne Williamson The following holiday story was first published under the title “Thrift Shop Angel” in The Christian Science Monitor, and is included in my book, Writing Home. These days, you can’t predict the shoppers you’ll encounter at our local thrift shop. And you probably don’t expect to hear the flutter of angel wings amid the racks of used clothing. Over the years I’ve frequented resale shops in search of upscale secondhand treasures — the Chanel business suit in mint condition; the Ralph Lauren blazer worn only once. I visit these places…
