Few things will wound the pride of the most outstanding senior girl more than sitting at a public bus stop in a McDonald's uniform. Mind you, back in 1982 the uniforms looked like this: At the store where I had worked since I was 16 years old, we wore the lime green version: When I... Continue Reading →

I was once asked to identify a time in my life when I felt most alive. It didn't take long for me to recall that October day in 1981. I had just left class and walked onto McCosh Courtyard, an iconic lawn at Princeton. The sky was blue. The air was warm. The trees were... Continue Reading →

We are in the thick of commencement season and it is a painful time for me. That's because I don't have my college degree. Before comforting me about how smart and accomplished I am despite this, please know that this is a source of deep grief and disappointment. It has nagged me, haunted me, indicted... Continue Reading →

Forgiveness has been on my mind in recent weeks. Maybe because I'm getting a fresh start in my marriage. I want to forgive and be forgiven. Maybe because Mother's Day is coming up and I always hope my children will forgive me for my mistakes. Maybe it's because I will soon leave a job I've... Continue Reading →

Last fall, Joe asked me what I wanted for my sixtieth birthday. "A house, " I replied without hesitation. My desire for home ownership has been a burning fire throughout our marriage, satisfied for the first time in 2015 when we purchased a home in Greene County, about 30 minutes from where Joe grew up,... Continue Reading →

Church attendance had been a huge non-negotiable in my life for 38 years, but during my two years alone, I let it go. Why? I liken my Christianity to hoarding. Every nook and cranny of my heart was stuffed with a Bible verse, some spiritual "truth," or some legalistic practice that both motivated me and... Continue Reading →