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Universal Letter Writing Week 2021

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Looking forward, looking back -that’s Janus. January is named after Janus, the Roman god with two faces, each looking in the opposite direction. He heralds new beginnings. What a perfect symbol for a new year and some fresh starts. We’ve done plenty of looking back.  So, what’s ahead? How are those resolutions going? Laurie Santos, […]

COVID Kindness

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  Dear Reader, Let me start by admitting that I am as lost as anyone after this “dumpster fire” of a year. I’ve often pictured Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz in the tornado funnel watching fragments of what-used-to-be swirl about, or Anne Frank, huddled in the attic with her family, hiding to save their […]

footsteps towards the Victory

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Veterans’ Day 2019 In honor of Veterans’ Day, I’d like to share this old postcard with you. A friend sent this French postcard which depicts the WWI Allied Forces. The young maid appears to be telling a surviving soldier of the path towards victory that ended the war in 1918. The writing on the back […]

Letters to the Dead

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“It gets very lonely sometimes. No one talks to me anymore.” – Andy   As many of you know, my youngest sister died early this year of a drug overdose. Andy, short for Andrea, was my favorite family member. She was quite skilled at telling you what she felt you wanted to hear. Andy was […]

Postcards to Voters

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Speaking of volunteering your penmanship to a cause,   I recently offered to hand write postcards to voters for the local mayoral campaign. The cards I worked on are addressed to the folks who live in apartments that are inaccessible to canvassers- knocking on doors. These neighbors are a serious voting block and they deserve time […]

Yes, Yes, Yes…

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Indulge me. Take a deep breath in, and exhale. It’s 2019. Time to take stock and reflect, set goals, make resolutions. Four days in, I’m still knotted up in details for improving myself. Yes, I’d like a full makeover, but realistically,  let’s be kind. So, I’m reminded of a quote from Jon Kabat-Zinn, the  father of […]

“the Ghost of an idea…”

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  Charles Dickens began writing A Christmas Carol in October 1843. At that time, he was suffering from “a hideous cold,” and was in the midst of a financial crisis.  After five years of economic success, Dickens had overextended his finances, his newer books were not selling as had been anticipated, and he was forced […]

Timothy Matlack

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Speaking of “writing history,” The Declaration of Independence is the perfect subject for this week. The Committee of Five or the brain trust of John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Robert Livingston, and Roger Sherman formulated the concepts. The wording was Jeffersonian. And the final draft written by Thomas Jefferson was engrossed by the famous […]