I have been very lucky. I have a cousin who is a gastroenterologist. My husband called him at home at 7 AM on a Sunday morning with a new strange symptom that concerned him, which my cousin later said he immediately suspected was pancreatic cancer. Unfortunately, my cousin has retired. We had a conversation prior to his retirement where I told him I have a two week rule. If some new symptom or sign in my body that was not there before persists for two weeks, I would usuall

I wanted this blog to help new grandparents and new parents maneuver these life passage events. This is one of my favorite blog posts. It contains one of my most important tips! Parents of a second child can use this tip too! Returning to Fort Lauderdale on Jet Blue, our preferred carrier between New York and Florida, a young father (and they are looking younger and younger to this Grandma) was walking up and down the aisle with an adorable baby boy, almost eight months old

A few nights ago, the booming thunder and crashing lightning right above my head made me feel like Chicken Little believing “the sky is falling,” like the song "It's the End of the World as We Know It . In my near eight decades on this earth, I never felt anything like it. The sound of the pounding rain on my Fort Lauderdale home was intense. Visibility was nil. The torrential rains seem stronger and seem to drop huge amounts of water harder and faster than our fragile eart

I’m reading a book, “The Book Club for Troublesome Women,” by Maria Bostwick. I would say it is about being a 1960s married woman. I have come to the part in the book where all the four women seem to hate their husbands. Hate is the word that the author uses. I’d like to use the words “seriously unhappy” in their marriages. I know that it the same for both sexes, there are times in a committed relationship, or marriage, where a man will seem to hate the woman in the marriag

The death of Dolly Parton hit me hard, harder than I expected. I know I am not alone. She created a persona that was bigger than life, but she was all about a life well lived. A recent Poll I read said Dolly Parton was the most beloved and unifying public figure in America. Her mentee, Taylor Swift, holds the title for being the most visible and culturally dominant force in our country. One might wonder how someone who is a Boomer could be one of the Dollies and one of the

I was lucky enough to be invited to visit a dear friend who has moved to Ennis, Montana, and learned what “Big Sky Country” really is. Bluebird days are what perfect blue skies in Montana are called. Montana is worth a journey. Ennis, Montana, is having several moments in the spotlight. Season one, episode two, of The Madison, on Paramount+, with Michelle Pfeiffer and Kurt Russell, features the town of Ennis. Several scenes are filmed around Ennis. Ennis is in Madison Co

Recently, I spoke to someone close to me who told me about the experience of losing her son to brain cancer when he was eight years old. They did everything they could. How horrific was the journey to try to save their son that she shared! The memories are vivid and painful still and, in my opinion, may last her lifetime. I picked up The New York Times, and on the front page, Thursday, July 9, 2026, was an article about parents choosing to possibly lose a child, “As Parents

Kylie Kelce, the wife of Jason Kelce, and new sister-in-law of Taylor Swift, has what she calls the ultimate postpartum gift guide for baby showers, which I love. Yes, I am a grandmother of six where the youngest is eight years old. No matter, I watched Kylie Kelce’s podcast on Facebook on the best postpartum gift guide for baby showers for Moms to be. I am a real Kylie Kelcie fan. I never thought I would be, but she truly tells everything like it is and doesn’t pull any p

As we mature, and I say mature instead of age, because we begin taking multiple medications a lot earlier in our lives than I realized, multiple drugs mean multiple issues. It took me to the point of aging to realize that I had to pay attention to drug interactions and depletions of essential nutrients by taking drugs that we are told by our medical professionals are imperative to our health. I hope this blog post comes to you sooner than my realization came to me, so you c

Intimacy. Romance. Intimacy. Luxury. Intimacy. Location. Intimacy, Privacy. Intimacy, Memories. As a divorce lawyer and divorce judge for decades, I have lectured and written often that the first thing that goes in a relationship is intimacy. Life interferes with the intimate connection that brought a couple to the point of commitment to the relationship. Maintaining the intimate connection should be the primary intent of any relationship, it keeps it healthy and vibrant. I

My husband died a little more than three years ago. He had pancreatic cancer and lived for five years and two months. At the first appointment at Sloan Kettering, with outstanding oncologist Dr Eileen O’Reilly, he asked how much time he had. Dr. O’Reilly said six months to five years. At the five-year appointment, he said to Dr. O’Reilly, “it is now five years, so when do I die?” Not only was Dr. O’Reilly taken aback, but so was I. He died two months later. I now believe

Putting your faith in the stars has paved the way for “a lot of the innovations in science, social practice, and religion that still exist today,“ which include the 360° circle, and the use of computation as opposed to observation for predicting the movement of planets. “ This is according to the curator of an exhibit and professor of history and ancient science at the Free University of Berlin, Mathieu Ossendrijver, quoted in “Charting Astrology’s Origins in a Museum Show,“

I finally purchased a new Apple Watch for the security of knowing if I fall, and cannot respond, I have three emergency contacts and 911 it can call. It was a birthday gift to myself for peace of mind. What I didn’t anticipate was that the Apple Watch would control my life. I truly enjoy exercising and exercise eight hours a week, including yoga, Pilates, and physical therapy. The Apple Watch monitors your exercise. Of course, I now exercise more. It tells me to stand if

My friends and I are using AI in ways we never thought possible. First, I had a thirty year old hinge that broke on a cabinet. My friend said to upload photographs of it on ChatGPT app and it will find it. Yes, the exact hinge was found on a vintage hinge website. In minutes! Another friend used ChatGPT to evaluate her wardrobe and clean out her closet. Here is her interactive chat for you to follow with ease: TAKE PHOTOS TO EVALUATE Photos of the clothes in the closet is

I have always heard about spring cleaning, and now that it is spring, I feel guilty not thinking about spring cleaning. Then, ‘death cleaning’ appeared in my radar, and the first thing I thought of is that it is a terrible title! But it is a real thing! You get to a certain age and you start to automatically read obituaries. It’s not that you’re anticipating death, it’s just that what those dead accomplished in their life becomes interesting. In the New York Times, Obi

I met Cora Wen at the memoir writers’ retreat in Guatemala. There was something about Cora that drew me to her. Maybe it was that both of us came from immigrant families. Her energy is addictive. Cora was my therapeutic yoga teacher as well. We met at 7 AM every morning and she helped heal my broken shoulder, the Eastern way, and its excellent healing surprised my Western doctor. East and West. Much better when our lives – and our health -- are intertwined. Cora wrote P

One of the worst moments in life is when the doctor advises to call hospice for you or your loved one. Inside, you panic. This is navigating a new unknown. The end is now close, and no one wants to contemplate this inevitable. Hospice care is supposed to be specialized, compassionate care for individuals with terminal illnesses (generally less than six months to live) that is supposed to prioritize quality of life, comfort, and dignity over curative treatment . Suppo

As a grandmother, I will do anything to make my grandchildren happy. I knew about MrBeast on YouTube because my then seven-year-old and 13 year-old grandchildren kept showing me all the contests where he was giving away ridiculously large amounts of cash. They were hooked on MrBeast, who has been on YouTube for thirteen years, longer than the ages of my grandchildren when they introduced me to him. When MrBeast announced that he was selling chocolate, of course they wanted th

We grandparents love to spend time with our grandchildren. My grandchildren range from age 7 to age 22, and each of the six is special in his or her own way. Five of them are Generation Z or “Zoomers”, between 14 and 29 years old, the first true digital generation, knowing and living with smartphones and social media attached to them at the hip, and finding anything that will grab their attention otherwise is a miracle. Enter the miracle of American Mah Jongg! And auspicio

I have just returned from a memoir writing workshop retreat, called “Write By the Lake,” at Lake Atitlan, Guatemala, with Joyce Maynard. A long (we never say old) dear friend, Valerie, went exactly one year ago and told me to immediately sign up. I did. As I learned at the retreat, I am making a list of the words that describe the experiences of spending a week in rural and rugged Guatemala at Lake Atitlan and with Joyce Maynard, surrounded by thirty- four varieties of bird