Just 5 miles south, the Newport Bridge connects Aquidneck Island to South County where McKenna spent her childhood years. Just 5 miles north of this beautiful vineyard, Jake spent his childhood years. As children they crossed the Bridge countless times with their families —maybe even at the same time — thinking and dreaming, one going … More A Bridge
We have to get used to the fact that at the most important crossroads in life there are no signs. Ernest Hemingway Every time I travel, near or far, I am intrigued by the landscapes. The space around me. The people filling the spaces. Yesterday we traveled through New York City just before sunrise. The … More Crossroads
Some twenty years ago our son figured out that Santa was not real. This realization happened on Christmas Eve. It wasn’t that he saw us placing gifts under the tree. His older sister did not tell him. He did not ask a lot of questions prior. But on that Christmas Eve he somehow just knew. … More Believe
A strong family has well worn seats at the dinner table. Author unknown The table welcomed us every day. Day after day. The weathered piece of furniture and its accompanying chairs sat there silently. It never asked a question or commented on what it was witness to. The table never spoke up, never judged us. … More The Table
A new broom sweeps clean, but the old broom knows the corners. Proverb The summer camp where my daughter went as a child was hiring counselors the summer before her 10th grade year. She was 15-years-old. The summer before a driver’s license is an in-between and antsy one for many teens. She wanted to be … More Broom Days
We walk. I try to picture Grandy’s father here. My great grandfather. Twice. Why did he come back? We stop at the edge of the Green, a weathered plaque swaying. Remember Us, For We Too Have Lived, Loved and Laughed. A chill runs through me like I’ve never felt before. The above 50 words are … More We Too Have Lived
On this day and always… “Give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.” Native American saying In mid-August of 2023, I stood on the land of the Blackfeet in northern Montana for the second time. For whatever unexplainable reason it is like being home. The energy pulsating from the Earth surrounded me again. And … More Blessings
What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us.” Ralph Waldo Emerson Dear child, Soon you will begin your journey into this world. May your passage and arrival be filled with every blessing. May you know that all who await you do so with joy and … More Letter to a Boy
Nothing ensures the success of the child more in the society than being read to from infancy to young adulthood. Reading books to and with children is the single most important thing a parent, grandparent, or significant adult can do. Anita Silvey – author, editor, and literary critic of children’s literature. The trio rode the … More Roar Like a Lion
There are no extra pieces in the Universe. Everyone is here because he or she has a place to fill, and every piece must fit itself into the big jigsaw puzzle. Deepak Chopra How we navigate and interact with information rests heavily on the types of learners that we are. Do we primarily need to … More Every Piece of the Puzzle
Flow is being completely involved in an activity for its own sake. The ego falls away. Time flies. Every action, movement, and thought follows inevitably from the previous one… Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, was the pioneering co-founder of the field of positive psychology, and the first to identify and research flow. (1934-2021). Our minds are in constant … More Finding the Flow
Everything is set. The nursery. The bassinet. The stroller. The diapers. The books and the bunnies and the bears. Waiting. In the waiting an unwelcome visitor taps its toes. Worry. There’s that worry interrupting the waiting. So many worries. Assuage the worries with quiet and rest. Sleep. Sleep now as your sleep will be delivered … More Waiting
Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end. Seneca, Ancient Roman philosopher, 4 BC – 65 AD Late in August, I heard the words spoken in medias res. Three beautiful, captivating words of Latin origin, literally translating to “in the middle of things.” I’ve carried the words with me everyday since. I’ve always been … More In Medias Res
An honor to write and present this piece for the occasion of my daughter’s wedding celebration, Newport, RI ~ 5.27.22 When you love someone, you do not love them all the time, in exactly the same way, from moment to moment. It is an impossibility. It is even a lie to pretend to. And yet … More Fluidity
“I’ve learned that home isn’t a place, it’s a feeling.” Cecilia Ahern, Irish novelist My elementary school years were spent in a one story, U shaped neighborhood school. Walks to the school over the years, and still now, provide me with a recalibration. I start at my kindergarten window peeking inside Miss Fisher’s class and … More The Blue Door
Lisa Rose Bauer 