In my 20s, most of my friends were having babies. Suddenly in my 30s, I was concerned becoming a mom was not in the cards. After I miscarried our first pregnancy, my biological clock sounded like Big Ben. Then, there he was, my son. In the driver’s seat, I quickly discovered by adjusting the rearview […]

As I sit comfortably in my living room watching “Match Game” on television, Alec Baldwin asks his contestants the $5,000 question, “What top three answers go with the word ‘shift’?” He repeats. “Shift ‘blank’ or ‘blank’ shift?” My immediate response as I shout out to my empty living room – Shift “gears”! On second thought, […]

A well-timed phrase can stimulate my writing process. This often happens for me in the Meetinghouse newspaper feature. “In the Driver’s Seat” is a good example. Lately I have felt out of the driver’s position. For medical, travel, etc., reasons I have been on the receiving end of others’ kindness. Little victories have had to […]

I was 11, sister Kris was 9. We were off to the Rockies from our suburban Denver house for what Dad liked to call “A Bum’s Vacation.” This meant we left Mom at home because she made us brush our teeth and eat healthy meals. What fun is that? (Years later, I confessed to Mom […]

My grandson Jack turned 16 on April 4. He’s a tall, handsome kid with a winning smile and friendly personality. Like other Massachusetts 16-year-olds, he couldn’t wait for the big day because it meant one thing – he could get his learner’s permit. Then, after taking driver’s ed, he’d make his appointment, take the on-the-road […]

When I turned 18, my father taught me how to drive. In the early summer evenings after the supper dishes were done, we left the confines of our small neighborhood and headed to the “back country” area of our town, where rolling and winding roads held very little traffic. With the car windows down inviting […]

I stood at the window on Easter, watching the chickadees in last fall’s garden, when my great-grandmother suggested that I choose a book to take outside and read on the grass. As she filled my arms with a yellow print bedspread to sit on, I grabbed a pen. Gramma handed me a small, old book […]

My father always said, “Dreams go to die in Calais.” But I wanted a fresh start, and saw it as a place I could find my footing. In January, I started working at my step-grandmother’s diner. My father’s mother died when he was young, and Karen entered the picture far before I was born. Since […]