From Joy to Sorrow
My last Rumination dealt with time passing. Nostalgia. And regrettable, yet inevitable, lost connections. I didn’t know what was coming next. We never do, do we?
Chronometry Redux
The new year was gliding along, mostly smooth with a hint of ripples. And then a tsunami blew in as a reminder that we are not in control.
A Study in Contrasts
I have often sat and wondered how much of our humanity we will lose in order to live/survive within our rapidly advancing technological world.
A German Christmas Memory
I waited impatiently for the big night and watched the snow clouds pile high in the frigid sky, alternating between wishing for the beauty of snowfall and a clear night to accommodate us on our quest for the perfect tree.
Tick Tock
Time had little meaning; only the essence of the moment seemed important. But all wonderful things come to an end, or they would lose much of their loveliness—it’s the contrast that is delicious.
Döstädning, the gentle art of Swedish Death Cleaning
Döstädning is the “gentle art of Swedish death cleaning” as defined by Margareta Magnussen in her book titled the same.
On Writing for Eternity
I believe we write because words are eternal. Our written thoughts offer a type of validation of a life.
Fearless
The next time you feel a strong aversion, or a gut punch at the thought of dealing with something, check in with fear. Give it a precise definition and slide it into the background.
Make Friends With Your Monkey
All of us have one. Some are more active than others. When you think of a monkey what comes to mind is a chattering and noisy little creature that can’t stay still or be quiet (unless it’s sleeping. Maybe). Think about the last time you fretted about something.
Resistance
Resistance is the way we react when we don’t want to embrace the present moment. We want things to be different. Period. So we feel that anger, or jealousy, or impatience. We don’t accept that things are what they are.
A New Purpose for a New Year
I fell madly in love on Christmas Eve. Here’s what happened.
My husband and son walked into the house carrying a huge grass basket, singing we wish you a Merry Christmas at the top of their lungs. Inside the basket? Two eight-week-old Jack Russell Terrier puppies.
Downton Abbey Redux
I believed the beauty, orderliness, and stateliness of the great house would offer a balm for my current sense of things falling apart, of immense changes not only in my life but in the world. However, I was mistaken.
After the Storm
Ironically, the morning after Ian left Florida to move on to South Carolina was astounding. After two days of angry wind gusts and a steady downpour, we were rewarded with a cerulean sky and a few wisps of white clouds along with temperatures that herald in the wonderful Florida autumn.
Nostalgia
I tend to get nostalgic and think of my early childhood in Germany, when the landscape turned orange, red, and yellow, a precursor to the bare and wintry landscape soon to come. Time to collect chestnuts and stock up on firewood. Memories of Oma climbing wearily out of our cozy featherbed in the mornings and crank up the wood-burning stove to warm the kitchen before she came to get me up and dressed.
The Swinging Pendulum
For sanity’s sake, I choose to believe in Emerson. His compelling essay “Compensation” offers hope that wrongs will be righted, and that good deeds—and diligence— will be rewarded. In other words, do the right things and the universe will restore balance: gifts and burdens are the extremes on the spectrum, the balance is the middle and the universe always returns to this.
Positive, for Corona and for Life
In 2019, I visited Germany in December to celebrate my father’s 93rd birthday, with plans to return in spring of 2020. By March, the Corona virus had changed the world and my plans to travel dissipated. It would be 2022 before I got on a plane to my beloved country again.
Mother’s Day 2022
For three days we snuggled in our private hospital room, staring at each other. I had never felt this kind of connection to anyone. I devoted my entire being over to this tiny beautiful creature who needed me so much. I knew my heart was not my own anymore.
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
A few days ago, I received an email from my father that made my heart clench. At ninety-five, he is part of a dwindling number of WWII veterans, in his case one of Hitler’s teenage boys conscripted to the army. He fought on the beaches of Normandy, was wounded, and captured.
What I Have Learned This Year…Chasing my Dream
Remember when you were a kid and you saw “old folks” who looked at everyone and everything in a suspicious and angry way that made you wonder what awful thing had happened to them? Maybe they felt as if the world had passed them by and nothing could possibly go right anymore.
In Giving Thanks
It’s not a bad idea to always be grateful for those we care about. Not only our spouses, parents, pets, and children, but also those people who enrich our lives in many small ways that we typically do not think about and who leave small or large holes when they are suddenly gone.
