June 29, 2021 THE DAMAGE DONE

 I was fourteen years old when my mother threw me out--Literally. All my possessions were heaped in a pile on the front lawn. This experience has haunted me for over 40 years. It's left an imprint on my soul. Although it was done in a fit of anger--there was never any apology. No real attempt to repair the damage until it was too late.  One day I had a mother and the next--she was gone. One day I had siblings and then--they were gone. It was kind of like in the Godfather when he says--YOU'RE DEAD TO ME. This event has shaped my life--for better or worse. It's made me--fiercely independent--somewhat callus--and a bit reserved.  Parents have the power to make or break their kids. EVERY decision they make has REAL consequences.  Believe it or not-- CHILDREN ARE AFFECTED PERMANENTLY. I'm proof of that.  Once you become a parent--you don't have the right to be selfish. It's really NOT about you anymore. I've tried to live this because I don't want what happened to me to happen to my kids. I know life isn't fair and things happen BUT I am ultimately in control my own behavior and it's up to me to  think about the long term consequences of my actions--because they really matter.  Jivan, the main character in Megha Majumdar's debut novel A Burning, learns this painful lesson the hard way. Set in Kolkata, India, Jivan is a Muslim girl living in the slums who witnesses a terrorist attack on a train on her way home from work. She  posts a negative comment about the government on Facebook in regard to the terrorist attack and later finds herself arrested for the crime. There are only two people who can help her---PT Sir, her former gym teacher who has aspirations of moving up after joining a right wing political party and Lovely--a transgender with dreams of Bollywood. Lovely can provide an alibi for Jivan but at a price that may be too high. This fast paced, well written novel is ultimately about corruption, class, and politics in contemporary India--which is literally quite frightening. Read this 290 page--4 mile run--book for yourself to find out what happens to Jivan in this lawless land where corruption drips into every section of society. It's well worth the read.  

June 22, 2021 LIFE IS HARD

It's funny how we still call my youngest--The Baby. He's 6 feet tall. He just laughs and rolls his eyes--but to us--he will always be the baby. The ONE everyone in the family looks after. The same is true with siblings. Older siblings always want to protect their younger siblings--NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE........It's crazy but true. We want them to be safe, happy and healthy--AND--when something threatens the BIG THREE--we feel it almost as much as they do. We want to make it all better and take away their troubles BUT that's impossible. Can't put a bandaid on grown-up problems. This thing called  ADULTING can be an ARDUOUS journey. It doesn't come with an instruction manual and the are NO guarantees.  There are pitfalls--dead ends--ditches and even one way streets that make it so VERY difficult to navigate. I guess that's where family comes in. When the going gets tough--the tough get going. Right.  Family rallies-- helps you help yourself. Reminds you that things will get better.  Believe it OR not--Things that seem ENORMOUS today will be but a sad memory someday. These lessons and many others are paramount in Marilynne Robinson's Pulitzer Prize winning novel from 2005, Gilead.  This lovely, quiet story is set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa, in 1956 where Reverend John Ames writes his memoirs for his seven year old son. Ames is a 76 year old Congregationalist pastor  who knows his days are limited due to a heart condition. He realizes that his young son will not remember him, so he wants to leave him with a gift.  Ames stories include telling his son about his own humble beginnings, memories and  experiences with his father and grandfather that ultimately shaped his life. Ames also focuses on his second marriage to Lila and the importance of friendship with his life long friend Boughton. Although Ames' memoir is also in part theological, it is more importantly a meditation on appreciating life and the beauty of simplicity. I've always wanted to read Gilead--not sure what took me so long--and I can't wait to read the companion books including Home of 2008, Lila of 2014 and Jack 2020. The writing is impeccable and unforgettable. It's only 245 pages--4 mile run--that you will never forget. Enjoy. 

June 9, 2021 LIFE'S BEEN GOOD

What a relief. School is FINALLY OVER. It was a crazy year. What I hated most was the MASK. 

It justdidn't work for me. I'm a person who says it all with my face--Hence the problem with the mask. I think the kids were confused all year because they couldn't see my FACE. They didn't know whether I was serious or NOT. It's funny too--wearing the mask inhibited my other senses. I couldn't hear the kids--everything sounded muffled--and my vision was limited too. I can't tell you how many times I tripped over backpacks because I couldn't see under my mask unless I moved my head--something I could never get used to for some reason. I was also BLIND for most of the year--I constantly took off my glasses because they fogged up. I couldn't see with them or without them. So thankful that life is finally getting back to normal. I went grocery shopping the other day WITHOUT THE MASK. I went to a restaurant WITHOUT THE MASK. AND finally went back to the yoga studio today WITHOUT THE MASK. Feeling grateful. Life is good. Erin French candidly reflects back on her life  and what she's grateful for in her new memoir Finding Freedom. Erin French is the owner and chef of the world renowned, Lost Kitchen, a 40 seat restaurant in Freedom, Maine. Erin's love affair with food began when she was a child as she spent most of her time in her father's diner in Freedom. It was there that she learned to prep, cook, clean, and manage a restaurant. After high school, she left home for college, but found herself back in Freedom after becoming pregnant. Erin's life takes many twists and turns as a single mother trying to make ends meet. She eventually marries and opens her first restaurant.  After her marriage crumbles, and she hits rock bottom, Erin somehow finds the courage to start over again to become one of the most sought after chefs in the world.  Find out all about Erin's life when you read this 300 page --3 mile run--for yourself. Her passion for food and desire to succeed will lift you up and help you learn that anything is possible in life.