March 16 , 2024 /

WHY WE WRITE

I have been thinking a lot lately, along with some other folks, why I write, what I write about, what my intentions are and what, if any, difference it makes.  I hear back from some readers and subscribers enough that reinforces my continuing to take the time and make the effort to pen something at

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February 28 , 2024 /

QUALITY OF LIFE REVISITED

(Featured photo: Courtesy of Beth Macdonald) For those of us in our later years, we know what Atul Gawande means as he documents the importance of the quality of life in his book, “Mortality: Medicine and What Matters in the End” Atul talked with Juergen Bludau, a geriatrician, who told him the job of any

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January 20 , 2024 /

SURPRISES

I shared some bits in this blog previously, notably in ‘Life, Death and In Between” published December 11, 2023.   There are glad surprises and sad surprises.  This post is mostly about ones that are sad, so I promise that the next post will be about glad surprises.  The reality is that life is full

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January 7 , 2024 /

REFLECTIONS IN THE LIGHT OF JANUARY 7, 2024

N.B.  Some of the experiences below have been posted previously. I hope it’s obvious why I am sharing them again. Yesterday was the 3rd “anniversary” of that awful day at the Capitol in Washington, D, C.  I do not need to see another video as a reminder of the threat posed by illegal, destructive behaviors. 

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December 28 , 2023 /

JANUARY IN 55 WORDS

Another “new” year, one after the other, Marked by a special moment in time; Measured in some way, even celebrated. Once we turned the page on a hanging wall calendar Or in a day timer, diary or log Now some digital device gives us day, date and time. Effortless, without even needing to Remember anything.

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December 1 , 2023 /

LISTENING AND LEARNING

Orig. 12/31/14 / Rev. 12/1/2023 I once said to Bill Moyers that one reason I enjoyed his presentations was that he was a very good teacher and I learned so much by just listening to him.  Bill is a great storyteller.   He responded by saying that he considered himself a student and was always

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