The ship rocked back and forth ever so slightly, the same rhythm a parent rocks their infant who is on the cusp of falling asleep. Rain spit, enough to speckle the window, but not enough to streak it. Over my left shoulder, I heard one man say to another “the pawn goes here” and I knew someone was learning to play chess. A raucous uproar over my right shoulder told me someone played the winning card. The group was immediately shushed by others, but it made me smile. I was Continue Reading
I never thought I’d go like this
Throughout my adult life, I’ve experienced a series of events that all share the same prevailing theme - I never thought I’d go like this. Perhaps it was always an overly-anxious prediction of my sudden demise, and fortunately it never came to fruition (obviously). But each occasion had one thing in common. Travel. The first was a whitewater rafting trip. Eight of us from work traveled from Detroit to Pennsylvania (or West Virginia?). Mistakenly, we trusted the athlete/ experienced rafter in Continue Reading
Nuremberg, 1945 – Karin’s Story
Five-year old Karin clung to her mother. For warmth and for security. They had slept in their clothes every night and kept a bag packed. They’d already made this run to the bomb shelter 20-30 other times when the sirens went off starting in 1944, and knew they had ten minutes from the time of the siren to get to the shelter. But tonight was different. There would be no returning to their apartment. The bombings in Nuremberg started on January 2, 1945, and lasted for three days. During Continue Reading
What’s a vacation?
“You’re always on vacation,” my friend chided me when I told her I wasn’t available for a zoom meeting. I chuckled. “Well, let’s back up for a minute,” I responded. “I said I’d be out of town. And really, what exactly is a vacation? Does it count if you’re shlepping your own groceries because you plan to do you own cooking? How about if there is no housekeeping service other than your own? And what about swatting flies as I heave my trash bag into the dumpster. Does that really make a Continue Reading