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...
Grandmothering6
A Daughter-in-Law’s Take on Mothers-in-Law
by Edwige Charlot, Guest Blogger This post is a response to “Why Do Mothers-in-Law Get A Bad Rap?” published on WOW on June 20th . From my time as the girlfriend, I knew that if my then boyfriend and I ever got married I’d be marrying into his family. By the time we were engaged, I was already well versed in the mother- in-law [...]
Pat Taub
Garden Angels, Granddaughter Jane & A Handmaid’s Tale Finale
Flowers in Memory of My Mother I belong to a progressive church in downtown Portland, which mercifully accepts my spiritual confusion. Last Sunday, in memory of my mother, I donated the altar flowers, purchased at the farmer’s market. They were exactly the kind of natural bouquet Jane would have loved. Garden Angels Update A few weeks ago [...]
Pat Taub
Alexandra Merrill: Aging Meaningfully
“I’m not done with my transformation.” Alexandra Merrill, on the cusp of 80, quoting Stanley Kunitz in his poem, The Layers, which he wrote upon turning 90. Zanda, as she is called, embodies aging meaningfully. I’m proposing substituting “aging meaningfully” with the commonly used phrase “aging successfully,” [...]
Pat Taub
Farmers’ Market, Remembering My Ex & Lobster Rolls
Record Breaking Heat Wave Yesterday Portland set a record of 95 for May 19th. It was so hot I could barely move. It felt like the world might explode. A scary reminder of climate change! A Sad Anniversary Tomorrow is my ex-husband’s birthday. Marvin died a little over three years ago in a tragic drowning accident. We had a long history, [...]
Pat Taub
Short Takes, no.2
“Short Takes” is my regular Friday post where I reflect on the past week, citing happenings of interest: a good read, social observations, and the like. Mother’s Day this Sunday: I attend a progressive inner-city church in downtown Portland led by a feminist minister. For our Mother’s Day service I will be among five women [...]
Pat Taub
The Education of a Grandmother
There’s nothing quite like the first time you hold a grandchild, experiencing the miracle of your son or daughter now having his or her own child. The baby looking back at you seems like a divine gift. And it is, but as time goes on and you settle into being a grandmother, the relationship gets more complicated. You watch your adult child [...]
Pat Taub