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...
family10
Serena, Grandson Max, “Attorney Woo,” & More!
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
Her Name is Layan
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
Becoming Resilient
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
Spiritual Companionship
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
Where Did Feminism Go?
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
July 4th, Katherine Bradford, Gun Violence, A Great Read & Netflix Series
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
My Secret
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
My Father: The Tyrant
I grew up in the 1950’s when gender roles were strictly defined. My mother, like most women of the era, stayed at home, focusing on creating the perfect home and perfect children. My father, like Don Draper in “Mad Men,” spent long hours at the office, mainly seeing his kids at the dinner table and on weekends, when he wasn’t catching [...]
Pat Taub
My Family Drama
Ram Dass: “If you think you’re enlightened, go spend a week with your family.” This quote came back to haunt me after spending Memorial Day weekend with my family. As my plane descended into Chicago’s O’Hare airport, I was filled with anticipation for my granddaughter’s high school graduation and for our first family reunion after [...]
Pat Taub
Granddaughter Jane, Mass Shootings, A Labyrinth, & A Great Read
Granddaughter, Jane Last weekend I flew to Chicago to attend my granddaughter, Jane’s high school reunion in Oak Park, a suburb of Chicago. My youngest son flew in from LA to join us. We hadn’t all been together since Covid descended on the country. The graduation ceremony was held in the school’s football field with family and friends [...]
Pat Taub