A Case of the Human Condition: The Day She Popped the Question
Things were getting serious. My boyfriend had moved his goldfish into my apartment. I had returned from a long weekend to find that Jon had moved his dimestore pets from his place to mine. He was sheepish about this.
Brutality Begets Brutality, That’s Why Torture is Not OK — An American POW’s Story
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Halle, Germany, today with its castle and the Salle River c 2009 Stadt Halle, Salle[/caption]
I’d like the forty-nine percent of Americans who say torture is sometimes justified to hear the story of an American POW who survived a brutal forced march during World War II. My conclusion: Brutality begets brutality. Read more.
The Writing Room: Writer’s Block and the Toxic Reader
Writer’s block? Not my problem. At least, that’s what I thought until I read Jane Anne Staw’s book, “Unstuck.” Read more.
The Writing Room: Writing About Your Mother? — Words of Caution from Lori Gottlieb
Planning to write about your mother? You might reconsider after reading Lori Gottlieb’s essay in today’s New York Times. Or are you a mother writing about your kids . . .
Death Is the Only Guarantee
Our bodies should be more like our cars. When a car fails, we can trade it in for a new one, but not our bodies. Some of my friends’ bodies are failing them at a very young age. Read more.
GodsBigBlog: Kids and Money — Saving It, Spending It, Sharing It
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Three Cups, by Mark St. Germain, is illustrated by April Willy.[/caption]
Looking for a way to teach generosity and life-long charitable giving to the children in your family? Author Mark St.Germain and artist April Willy have a suggestion: Give them each three cups. Read more.
GodsBigBlog: Dancer Savitri Hari — God in the Lowly Things
Savitri Hari finds the sacred in the lowly things. Savitri grew up in a Hindu family in a village in South India. “We children used to gather cow dung for a special holiday. We rolled the cow dung into a ball and drew mandala designs on it with rice flour.”
The Writing Room: To Niche or Not to Niche?
Where’s my niche – spiritually, philosophically, politically? As a writer? For a writer, nichelessness can be a problem. I’m a hopelessly open-minded, doubting, wondering, yearning skeptic who senses the Holy at work in all sorts of people — Christians, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims, atheists.
A Case of the Human Condition: Feminine, Feminist Pink
Christina likes pink. Given a choice, my five-year-old daughter will take the pink balloon, the pink panties, the pink baseball bat. Read more.
A Case of the Human Condition: When Your Six-Year-Old Wants to Talk Money
My six-year-old wanted an allowance. Jon and I debated. Fifty cents a week? 75? “Let’s not talk in cents,” said Peter. “Let’s talk in dollars.” Read more.