Tag Archives: kindness
Constancy in Candy
My grandmother kept a candy bowl on a table by her front door. Growing up, I would sneak butterscotches and strawberry sweets. During the pandemic, my grandmother moved into assisted living. On my first visit after lockdown, I saw how … Continue reading
Night Travels
Good chemotherapy gifts are hard to find. After 20 years of friendship, Nancy nailed it. Glossy travel magazines arrived in the mail featuring pristine beaches and faraway cities. A Post-it instructed: “Hang in. We’re going one day.” Chemo ended. Surgery … Continue reading
Sheltering in Their Place
In June 2020, hours after moving into an apartment, my daughter and I stood in the street holding our dogs, hypnotized by billowing smoke. We lost everything. Later, a friend asked how I was doing. “Living it up at the … Continue reading
Say Yes With Joy
If you know you’re ultimately going to let your daughter have a three-person sleepover or allow your son an extra brownie after dinner, just go straight to a happy “Yes!” When you offer up an awesome gesture as if you … Continue reading
A Recipe for Healing
At 19, I left my first adult relationship. I lived alone, working for minimum wage at a coffeehouse in Rochester, N.Y. Consumed by anxiety and loss, I stopped eating. Within the month of September, I lost 20 pounds. One afternoon, … Continue reading
Real Life of an MSW 