Category Archives: Life

Barbara Marshall

For Leslie “Mom, there’s a lady in the bushes,” said my six year old son nonchalantly. He sat fixated in front of the television, mesmerized by the dance moves of his very favorite group “The Wiggles,” icons of the ten-and-under set. The charismatic foursome clad in identical black pants and vividly colored tee shirts, wereContinue reading “Barbara Marshall”

Camera Shy

It is 3:30 PM on a balmy Friday afternoon and school has just let out for the weekend. My best friend Janet and I stroll down Plandome Road with no particular direction in mind. Our mood is jubilant, carefree. We chatter about the three most pressing matters in the life of a high school freshman;Continue reading “Camera Shy”

Lovely Lily

It is a Friday, late afternoon, and I have just gotten off the school bus. Walking up the front path of my Long Island home, I hear laughter from inside, amid the whirr of a blender. Following the sound of merriment to the kitchen, I spot my mother and my Aunt Lily sitting together atContinue reading “Lovely Lily”

Grant’s Goodbye

I originally wrote this story almost ten years ago but decided to re-incarnate as I had the great pleasure of recently hearing Grant, now a young man, is enjoying life, content and accomplished in the Pacific Northwest, surrounded by his beloved forests. He is studying to be a Mental Health counselor. His name has beenContinue reading “Grant’s Goodbye”

To David on his 60th Birthday

I hold a photograph in my hand. A picture from long ago. Though frayed and fading, it is one that tells a story. A melancholy tale of family, friendship, love and loss. And the unrelenting passage of time. I study the image taken with my father’s old Polaroid camera. Fifty years have come and gone,Continue reading “To David on his 60th Birthday”

Where have you gone, Uncle John?

I remember how he would greet us, his four young nieces, with a cock of his head and a shy smile. Then without fail, that playful wink of his eye. And every time he winked at me, I felt like the most important person in the world. On each and every visit to our LongContinue reading “Where have you gone, Uncle John?”

Amazing Grace

I remember her laugh. That mirthful, contagious laughter which often caused her eyes to well up with tears as she relayed one of her many tales. She loved a funny story. Some days I drive slowly down Catbrier Lane, past her old house. It holds new owners now, people I have never known. Her familyContinue reading “Amazing Grace”

The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath

What is your favorite hobby or pastime? “There must be quite a few things that a hot bath won’t cure, but I don’t know many of them.” Sylvia Plath I am addicted to baths. It began in my childhood, at what age I cannot say for certain. I can envision myself and my two sisters bobbingContinue reading “The Marvelous, Mystical Cure of a Bath”