When we were children, many of us heard our parents say, “If it feels wrong, don’t do it.” That was a way to help us judge right from wrong, that internal compass that kept us on the proper course. Probably those first deciding points were about how we were treating our siblings-- at least it … Continue reading If It Feels Wrong
Breast Cancer Survivor
3 Things I Learned from Cancer
Now that I've been a breast cancer survivor for almost eighteen years, I think back on the three things I learned from going through treatment. It occurs to me that what I learned from cancer can be applied to other areas of life—even to becoming a parent, like my son and daughter-in-law did just one … Continue reading 3 Things I Learned from Cancer
The Stranger on the Bus
We stood at the West Tisbury shuttle bus stop on a Saturday afternoon in Martha’s Vineyard. I’d been experiencing that island in Massachusetts for the first time, staying in a hostel for $27.00 a night—the only way I could afford that expensive place. I’d enjoyed the morning at the Farmer’s Market at the Grange Hall … Continue reading The Stranger on the Bus
Taking Time to Savor
A boulder has been lifted off my shoulders. The project I’ve been working on for months, the book proposal for my memoir, Saved by Sedona: Finding a Path of Pilgrimage, has been completed and sent to an interested Literary Agent. Instead of resorting to my past behavior of rushing on to the next thing, or … Continue reading Taking Time to Savor
Friends for a Lifetime
I’ve been fooled at times, thinking the friends I had would last. Like when I worked with a woman in clinical research trials. We seemed to get along so well and have a lot in common. During that time, I was struggling through chemotherapy and working on one of her company’s studies. She was the … Continue reading Friends for a Lifetime
Places in My Path: Coquina Beach
The beach called me early this morning. I wanted to start my day walking by the water -- always a place of renewal. Does that draw come from the nurture experienced when we were floating in our mother’s womb? Is it from the release that’s felt with baptism or the desire to sail across the … Continue reading Places in My Path: Coquina Beach
Road Trip: Headed South
This morning I leave on my journey. I'm reminded of the first road trip I took with my family to Florida the summer after second grade. In typical 'Daddy fashion,' we left around 2:00 a.m. because he liked to drive when it was quiet and cool-- since our two-tone-blue '58 Chevrolet didn't have air conditioning. … Continue reading Road Trip: Headed South
Celebrate Your Life
In four days, I’m having another birthday. My husband, David is just five months older than me and once we hit sixty, several years ago, he took on a particularly disenchanted attitude about having birthdays, saying he just wanted to “forget about it.” But I came back at him with, “You should celebrate every year … Continue reading Celebrate Your Life
Stepping Over the Threshold
One week from today, I’ll leave on my yearly pilgrimage. For months those days have been blocked out on my calendar with very little thought about the actual journey. Now that I’m almost one year into my retirement from school nursing, I find that my life has been filled with new activities to take the … Continue reading Stepping Over the Threshold
Competitive Edge
The young mother told me about their family’s plan to travel to Europe during our upcoming Spring Break. It wasn’t unusual in our affluent school community for students to travel to international locations. But as she told about taking all five children to Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, I found myself calculating the costs rather than … Continue reading Competitive Edge
Connie Rosser Riddle 