Essays
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Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park: “Uncovering Serenity”
My love affair with Japanese gardens began many years ago when I was a student at Cranbrook Summer Theater School in Bloomfield Hills. Later, when I had a home of my own, I created a small Japanese garden in a corner of our back yard. When the editor of Michigan Blue asked me to write a feature story about the newly installed Japanese Garden at the Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park in Grand Rapids, Michigan, I jumped at the chance. This magnificent eight-acre landscape is a work of art — and well worth a visit. You can read my feature here, in the “Travel & Adventure” issue of Michigan…
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How to be a badass encourager
“Be an encourager. The world has plenty of critics already.” ~Dave Willis The hilarious mug in the photo was a gift from dear friends last year. While I don’t think of myself as a badass, I break into a smile each time I fill it with morning coffee. It’s a daily reminder of how good it feels to be supported, validated, and encouraged. Note to self: Find ways to encourage others who might need an extra boost too. After all, everybody’s muddling through the start of another crappy pandemic year. It would help if we’d all be nicer to each other — more encouraging, less critical. In addition to the…
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Keeping the light
“Instead of fighting the darkness, you bring the light.” ~Eckhart Tolle Several of our neighbors have taken down their outdoor holiday lights. Some packed them up and put them in storage on New Year’s Day, following some obscure law that requires us to hunker down in darkness as soon as last year’s calendar hits the recycle bin. Blocks of homes that once displayed a dazzling array of colorful lights have gone dark again — as if the carnival suddenly packed up and left town. In my view, neighborhoods and shopping districts aglow with holiday lights are, pardon the pun, one of the highlights of winter — a season that doesn’t…
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Unwrapping it all … A post-holiday reflection
“I may not have gone where I needed to go, but I think I ended up where I needed to be.” ~Douglas Adams This morning I woke up in time to see a fresh layer of snow blanketing the trees and rooftops. It’s two days too late for the white Christmas so many wish for — but it’s still beautiful (as long as you’re not driving to work in it). Snow has a way of hushing the landscape. It covers the last remains of autumn decay while it highlights the graceful bend of bare branches. A snow day invites us to pause or slow down; to retreat and reflect. It’s…
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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…
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