GUEST POST by JACOB WATSON When we enter our family as a newborn the rules are already in place. As we grow up in our families of origin, we observe the spirit of the family. When older, and hopefully wiser, we create our own family, with its own spirit. This is what endures over generations. It is spirit because it is not limited by space [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by PAT BESSEY Don’t wait! I have heard this before. However, after the loss of my husband LeRoy Lowell in January, it takes on a whole new meaning. This was my third marriage, and we were together for thirty-two years. My first marriage was when I was fifteen, a sophomore in high school and expecting a baby. That marriage ended [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by MARY DUNN “No one leaves home unless home is the mouth of a shark.” from, Home by Warsan Shire Those seeking refuge along the southern border are among those who flee violence, poverty, and climate catastrophes from around the world. It is estimated that 26 million people are on the move fleeing their homes. Those who arrive [...]
Pat Taub
Serena Seeking a break from the world’s upheavals raging from wars to global warming-induced disasters that produced record floods in Pakistan and zero water for Jefferson, Mississippi, I took refuge in watching Serena Williams stage a comeback at the US Open. When Serena announced her retirement, speculators bet she’d lose her first [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by SALLY BOWDEN-SCHAIBLE (adapted from correspondence with Dr. Jehad Hasanain*) Her name is Layan, meaning “sweetness and ease” in the Arabic language. A 10-year-old girl, the youngest of her siblings, she has long dark brown hair held back from her smiling face with a headband and barrettes. Her smile reaches her even [...]
Pat Taub
In her new memoir, “A Life in Light,” popular author Mary Pipher offers life lessons on becoming resilient by moving into the light. For Pipher, light isn’t just a metaphor but a literal expression of how light restores her. Ever since she was a small child Pipher was drawn to the light. Her first memory is as an infant, lying on a blanket [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by JACOB WATSON At 80, I’ve come to appreciate that the most important component of life is the spiritual realm. I was awakened to this realization through my work with the late Elisabeth Kubler-Ross. She taught us that the spiritual quadrant is an equal part of the four quadrants (intellectual, emotional, physical and spiritual) [...]
Pat Taub
Feminism has always been in my blood. Growing up I sensed something was wrong with the ways my mother easily succumbed to my father’s demands. In my college classes I had to endure the ridicule of male students when I uttered an insightful comment. I learned to stuff my anger to get along, until the women’s movement erupted, validating [...]
Pat Taub
Fourth of July My Chicago family, son David, daughter-in-law Mel, and grand teens, Jane and Max flew to Portland to spend the fourth with me. Jane, a funky art student, and I combed the local thrift stores and took in the Katherine Bradford exhibit at the Portland Art Museum, while Max and I binged on the Netflix detective series, Lupin. [...]
Pat Taub
GUEST POST by MARGIE CAMPBELL I’m going to tell you a secret. It isn’t something that I tell readily these days. It is something that has been a burden lately. Perhaps if I share it with you, I’ll become more comfortable with it. So, what is it that causes you so much concern, you may well ask? Okay, here it is—some months ago I turned [...]
Pat Taub