My sister Kathy approached the occasion of her 50th birthday party with unfettered glee. She mingled, hugged, high-fived, sang, chatted, reminisced, tasted, sipped, posed, and, utterly unfazed by the number on the top of her cake, happily wished as she blew out her candles. Unsure which of her favorite two outfits she should wear, Kathy [...]
My friend Harriet drives an adorable yellow Bug, and a world-changing program based on empathy and joy. Wisconsibs, whose mission is to foster a community of support and understanding for brothers and sisters of individuals with special needs, has grown dramatically and strategically in the 20 years since Harriet founded it, shortly after the birth [...]
My friend Lois has become a global ambassador for resiliency and love. She is living, smiling, winking proof that life's second act can be as rich and full as its first. Last week, Lois greeted her 12th host student, the lovely Juliette from Belgium, and the two immediately commenced on a whirlwind tour of [...]
I first noticed the chalk board as I made my way home from a long and sweaty walk one summer day. Perched on a fence in front of one of our neighborhood's loveliest gardens, it said, "Kind words can be easy to speak but their echoes are truly endless." I just loved that someone had [...]
I met a fascinating man on a bench two Saturdays ago and he introduced me to rice pudding porridge. Then, he taught me, like so many others had, about how to LIVE honestly, bravely and joyfully in a finite world. Trent Cole. First, I saw his name on a plaque on 14th Street, then I [...]
