The girl’s eyes followed me. She glanced sideways, wordlessly imploring for help. I had to respond. But how?
Thankfully, this child was not on the street but in a photo superimposed with the words “CASA of New Hampshire.” It was an ad seeking advocates for abused and neglected kids.
At a family picnic this summer we gobbled salads, pulled pork and pies. Lounging in the shade of a giant maple, we admired my cousin’s picture-book perennial garden and a flock of orioles flitting above. Later we cooled off in the swirling water of the Connecticut River. All the while, Continue reading “Go easy on the kids”
From war to climate change, gun violence to inflation, it can seem that everything is going wrong. A recent conversation with Becky Field, New Hampshire photographer and immigrant advocate, reminded me that there is something each of us can do: We can welcome the stranger. Caring for one another is Continue reading “Caring for each other”
2020 marked 100 years since the ratification of the 19th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution, assuring women the right to vote. New Hampshire organizations had planned events from parades to readers’ theater, from tea parties to lectures about the individuals who fought for equal rights. Instead of learning and celebrating, Continue reading “Paying attention”
My new go-to is yoga. Too much hiking and not enough stretching, not to mention crouching over my keyboard, brings on unaccustomed pains. The breathing, poses and mental habits of yoga rejuvenate me. Even practiced in a drafty community rec center, yoga loosens my muscles and expands my mind.
I find being one of my family’s elders a bit unsettling. Sure, I already embraced the gray hair. But until this year I always had someone more experienced with whom to discuss parenting, career, home ownership, the news, family history, my dreams. We didn’t necessarily think alike, but my parents Continue reading “Intergenerational ties”
I like to hike and to write. Both activities demand focus. One foot, or one word, in front of another. The effort distracts me from problems and surfaces memories and ideas.
As if the foliage on the Kancamagus Highway weren’t glorious enough, I recently hiked the Champney Falls Trail up Continue reading “Getting to Victory Day”
