Holidays Around the World
There are many words we could use to describe the year 2020, and “surreal” is probably one of the kindest. The same can be said for how we’ll be celebrating Christmas this year. Like many people, my husband and I will be staying home for the holidays, rather than going home for the holidays to celebrate with family members who live in other parts of the country. It’s not our preference, of course, but we keep reminding ourselves that by [...]
Celebrating Around the World
North and South America. Asia, Africa, and Australia. Europe. The Middle East. The Caribbean. No, I’m not studying for a geography test, or memorizing different areas of the world in case I ever become a contestant on “Jeopardy!” and that’s one of the categories. I’m just thinking of some of the people I spent a few hours with this week, and marveling at all the different places they’re from. A number of them are people I’ve met as I “traveled [...]
Powerless on Thanksgiving
I was still in bed on Thanksgiving morning when my husband, an early riser, came in and said, “The power just went out.” I instinctively looked at the clock on my nightstand, which showed – nothing. “What time is it?” I asked. “6:45,” he said, adding, “I called the power company. They already knew about it. They said it should be back on by 8:30.” I did some quick mental calculations, based on the tasks and cooking I had planned [...]
Thanksgiving Thoughts
Thanksgiving is next week, and it will be different this year than ever before. Like many people, we will be staying home rather than traveling to be with family members in different parts of the country. And like them, our hearts are torn over not being able to spend the holiday with loved ones, whether they live across the street, across the country, or “over the river and through the woods,” as the old song goes. This is also a [...]
A Memorable Day
Eight months. That’s exactly how long it’s been since I went into lockdown. I remember the date precisely because, like today, it was a Friday the 13th. I had just been diagnosed with diabetes, and on that day in March I drove to the pharmacy to pick up a supply of lancets and test strips for my brand-new practice of doing finger sticks to test my blood sugar. But first I had a lunch date with a friend, not knowing [...]