Welcome to my web site, REFLECTIONS.
Since retiring, I have been busier than ever with classes, volunteer work, and taking advantage of all the natural beauty and culture the Berkshires have to offer. But what has come to matter most to me is writing.
When I started blogging, my goal was to offer leadership lessons in conjunction with my former consulting company, Rise Up Leadership Coaching. Over time, I began sharing reflections on topics ranging from women, spirituality, and family, to why and how I write, an approach I found more satisfying.
My weekly posts are usually inspired by books, articles, poems, and movies. Sometimes they are reflections on intricate ice patterns along the shore, or new buds on my orchid. I also write a daily Haiku to accompany a photograph I have taken. I love the challenge of translating an image into words.
My newest writing adventure is fiction. After an old photograph and newspaper article revealed that my grandmother was married to a cousin at 17 and later divorced, I felt compelled to tell her story. But with only a few dates and names to go on, I have had to create the story from my imagination. (See my post, Nonets for My Grandmother, February 27, 2022). My historical novel is set in the early 1900’s. I hope that Fannie, the girl I am writing about, captures what might have been true about my grandmother. I often feel that by telling her story I am telling my own.
I hope you will enjoy exploring my writing as much as I enjoy sharing it with you. Every writer needs an audience, so please tell your friends about the site – and leave me comments! I love hearing from my readers.
RECENT POSTS
ON WOMEN
So much of my life has been about finding my place in the world as a woman. The papers I wrote as a student – every one about a female character, the advocacy organizations I joined, the inclusive synagogue I sought out for myself and my daughters, and my commitment to mentoring young women have all been part of the struggle for equality.
ON WRITING
Writing is hard work. I take courses, read authors whose work I admire, discuss the process with other writers, save inspirational quotes in my journal, and write, rewrite and rewrite again. And every once in a while, I write something I like.
HAIKUS
Morning on the lake.
Shrouded in gray mystery
until the mists clear.
Male and female, made
to fit together as one,
yet so far apart.
Stop! Go no further!
Metal gates halt the climber
But not the dreamer.
I’ll never know the
path you’ve taken. At the fork,
what choice did you make?
One daisy survives
Peeking through the railing
To say good morning.
Every surface
Shouting “I am somebody!”
in neon colors.
MORE BLOG THEMES
ON LEADERSHIP
From an early age, when there was a need for leadership, I stepped up, but discovering how to be a good leader has been a lifelog journey. Each success and failure along the way taught me a valuable lesson. I am most proud of the role I have played in nurturing a new generation of leaders.
ON SPIRITUALITY
I have more questions than answers. Where can I find faith in a time when we seem determined to destroy the earth and each other? How can I find peace? What lessons from my religion are meaningful for me today?
ON AGING
Every ache and wrinkle reminds me of my stage of life. Focusing on my freedom to pursue new interests and the wisdom I have gained, rather than dwelling on the losses, is an ongoing struggle.
ON FAMILY
When my mother died in 2018, I became the oldest in my family. Even my children have been at the adult table for many years! At our last gathering there was finally a baby at the children’s table again, with two more expected this year. I anticipate each generation with joy.
ON TRAVEL
I have been lucky enough to travel to places that growing up I thought I would only read about. I never expected to sit on the beach at Rio de Janeiro, walk the Great Wall of China, or take a train ride through the snow in Russia. Each trip taught me something about another culture and about myself.
ON NATURE
I grew up in New York City. I felt at home in a world of concrete, jostled by crowds and inured to traffic noises. Now I live surrounded by hills. I walk in the woods accompanied by a symphony of birdsong. I am humbled by the power of nature to destroy and to heal.
How did this happen? How did 75 years go by so quickly? Wasn’t I just a Brownie? Sweet 16? Spending my college years protesting? Able to vote? Having babies? Dreading 50? Whoosh…