I am named after an aunt I never met. In my version of Jewish family, you don’t name babies after living people. Only after those who have passed. This is not true in all Jewish families. It depends on where… Read More ›
Personal
FORGIVE AND FORGET?
I absolutely believe in forgiveness, but forgetting? I remember. I may not remain angry about the things I remember, but I don’t forget them, either. I keep a tally. If you’ve betrayed me, lied to me, broken your promises, not… Read More ›
SAYING NO TO BULLETS: THE FIRST TIME – BY ELLIN CURLEY
This is one of the funnier old family stories. My family believes that it documents the first time being a conscientious objector was used as a rationale to get out of military service. The concept didn’t exist in World War… Read More ›
WHAT A SHOCK! – Marilyn Armstrong
You think you know someone. You hang out with them, exchange emails, jokes, and anecdotes. Maybe you even work with them. Then, one day, out of the blue, you discover they are fundamentalist Christians who believe you are going to… Read More ›
GIVING UP, NOT IN – Marilyn Armstrong
I almost quit any number of times. I didn’t smoke a lot. Less than a pack a day and eventually I got it down to five or six a day and sometimes less. The problem with cigarettes is that one… Read More ›
SUMMER FRIENDS – BY ELLIN CURLEY
I recently wrote a blog about old friends; people who knew you when you were a lot younger and who shared a part of your life that doesn’t exist anymore. That got me thinking. Why do some people become ‘old… Read More ›
EXTRACTION FROM THE MIRE OF THE PAST – Marilyn Armstrong
The endless recitation of woes on blogs I used to enjoy is giving me a headache. It’s not a lack of personal sympathy. It’s more like emotional exhaustion. So many people seem to be stuck in the mire of misery… Read More ›
2020 WON’T BE ANYONE’S FAVORITE YEAR – Marilyn Armstrong
I had a favorite year and it was 51 years ago. Hard to believe because it doesn’t feel like it was that long ago. Neil Armstrong walked on the moon in July 1969. I was a new mommy. Home with… Read More ›
THE REAL BEGINNING – GARRY ARMSTRONG
As much as I hate telephones, I loathed pagers. I was, admittedly, spoiled by years of minimal interference in the field. We did the usual schtick on the 2-way. Hand over mouth responding, “We can’t hear you. You’re breaking up…. Read More ›
SMILING FACES, SOUR CHERRIES – Marilyn Armstrong
Bad days are like sour cherries. Even in a great batch of fruit, you hit some duds. As you munch, you’re going to get some berries that are overripe, sour, or bitter. You bite into them, make a face, and put them… Read More ›
GREAT TEACHERS: A VERY LONG DEFERRED THANK YOU – Marilyn Armstrong
In the course of my school days, I had a handful of great teachers to whom I will be eternally grateful. They taught me to learn, to love reading, to make up stories and write them down. To write non-fiction… Read More ›
PEOPLE SAY THE NICEST THINGS! – Marilyn Armstrong
How often have you wondered whether you should say “thank you” or punch that person in the mouth? Insults I understand, but the compliments that really aren’t, baffle me. Is it personal ambivalence? Is it possible they don’t understand the… Read More ›
WHEN BONES DON’T KNIT – Marilyn Armstrong
Yesterday morning, I dropped the mouse for the computer in the bedroom. I reached down to pick it up and a pain shot through my chest, down my arm and I yelped. I had a lot of heart surgery more than… Read More ›
FEARLESS – Marilyn Armstrong
Just as pain warns our bodies that something is wrong, fear warns our brains to be cautious. Excessive or unreasoning fear can cripple us, make us unable to do anything at all. Phobias can eliminate some activities entirely. If you… Read More ›
FIRST, FORGIVE YOURSELF AND THE REST WILL FOLLOW – Marilyn Armstrong
One Sunday in church, Pastor’s sermon was about forgiveness. He asked everyone in the church to stand up. Then he asked those who had any enemies to sit down. Everyone sat down but one very old woman. “You have no enemies at… Read More ›
WALLOWING IN THE PAST – Marilyn Armstrong
An endless recitation of woes are giving me migraines. It’s not that I lack sympathy. More like I’m emotionally exhausted. So many people are stuck in a pit of youthful misery. Bad childhoods, terrifying ex-marriages or other horrible relationships. Or… Read More ›
