While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in...
Thinking About Death
While I’m an elder, I hadn’t given a lot of thought to dying, that is until my brother, who’s 20 months younger, announced in a recent late-night phone call that he had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. (To preserve my brother’s [...]
Pat Taub
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Trailblazing Women We Lost in 2021
JANUARY Mary Catherine Bateson, 81 Bateson was born to two famous parents, Margaret Mead and Gregory Bateson. She is remembered for her 1989 feminist classic, Composing A Life: eye-opening interviews of five women who describe the challenges of being a modern woman, balancing work and family. Cicely Tyson, 96 This beloved actress lay the groundwork [...]
Pat Taub
A Christmas Orphan, Joan Didion, “Being the Ricardos” & More
Being A Christmas Orphan The surging Omicron virus had me scuttling my holiday plans to fly to Chicago to spend Christmas with my oldest son and his family. It was a hard decision, but it feels like a case of “Better safe than sorry.” Like many families, who are separated this year due to Covid, we will Zoom or FaceTime on Christmas [...]
Pat Taub
Everyday Angels
GUEST POST by MICHAEL STEINMAN I did not grow up in the tradition of angels, except as tropes in comic books and cartoons. Harps and wings, no no. I did not watch Touched by Angel or the Hallmark Channel. Frank Capra’s Clarence was all right because he was a homespun mortal, sweetly goofy. Later, I encountered angels aplenty in [...]
Pat Taub
Books for Holiday Giving
This week I’m offering book suggestions for holiday giving. They include gripping plots by acclaimed writers; a brilliant thesis on climate change; an inspiring bio; and recommendations from my wonderful book nerdy friends. FICTION TO TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY Oh William! This is Elizabeth Strout’s latest novel, which I read in one day. [...]
Pat Taub
My Search for Meaning
Aging has brought a renewed interest in the spiritual questions I grappled with during my late-night college bull sessions. Is there a God? Can prayer make a difference? What is my spiritual path? In my middle years I was too busy raising children and building a career to grapple with meaning of life questions with the intensity of my [...]
Pat Taub
Abortion Nightmare, Josephine Baker, A Great Read, & Remembering Joanne Shenandoah
Abortion Nightmare! This week the Supreme Court held a hearing on a challenge to Mississippi’s draconian abortion law, which bans abortions after 15 weeks of pregnancy. The Court’s conservative majority indicated a willingness to uphold the Mississippi law. In a very “A Handmaid’s Tale” moment, Justice Amy Cone Barrett suggested [...]
Pat Taub