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Spiritual Retreats: Vacations for the Soul
I would guess that most people—especially the parents among us—have taken vacations that seemed more like forced marches than relaxing getaways. Back when my sons were small, I discovered the perfect...
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Meeting St. Irene in Istanbul
Even for a veteran travel writer, the prospect of visiting Istanbul thrilled me. Istanbul, after all, is one of those words that shimmers with exoticism, bringing to mind whirling dervishes, cruises...
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Yoga and Sex: Are You Kidding?
Sorry, all you yogis out there who “get” this causal relationship between yoga and sex, with all its Mula Bandhas and root locks, but I just can’t relate. My experience with yoga runs to the...
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Death with Dignity?
Peter Goodwin was the doctor who successfully lobbied for Oregon’s Right to Die Law. In a week that has been filled with the bad news of death and sickness for me, I paid particular attention to an...
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Passover – Spring cleaning for your Soul
This is the time of year for those of us who keep the Jewish traditions of Passover to really begin an unbelievably fulfilling new journey. The classic teachings relate the story of the Jews flight...
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Interfaith Easter? Oy!
At Passover this year, my 87-year-old father will preside over a long table of children, grandchildren and in-laws gathered in a Florida condo. As part of a sprawling family tree of Italians,...
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Party In Hell
The thing about a party in hell is knowing when to leave. I was having this conversation with a friend just the other day. I thought about all of the women in my life who have been to that same party,...
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Anna Quindlen’s Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake
Excerpted from Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen Every once in a while we meet our long-ago selves across a dining table or a desk, when younger women come to ask for advice or to...
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Does Downsizing Mean Loss?
Our property has been on the market for three years, a high-end ranch that went on sale at the low end of the economy. But we are not brainstorming where we’ll live when it sells. It’s not like I’m...
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Why I’m Trying 49 New Things Before I Turn 50
I began my career as The Travel Mom in 1996 when my kids were young. I studied early childhood education in college and was teaching parenting classes, preschool and Mommy & Me. Travel was...
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Building A Legacy Without Regrets
Henry Ward Beecher once said, “We sleep, but the loom of life never stops.” I interpret that to mean that once we’ve reached our “eternal sleep,” the patchwork that is life continues on. While I...
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Why 60 Is The New 60
When I was thirteen I wanted to be sixteen. I’d discovered how to iron my hair, but now I wanted to drive all my friends to the beach. When I was sixteen I wanted to be fourteen. My hair was straight,...
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Dear God, Please Help My Mother Die
I am not a religious person. I’m not even sure I believe in a higher power, let alone one true God. Even so, for the past several years I often find myself praying. When I do pray, it is always...
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How Much Risk Are You Willing to Take To Have Fun?
Risk is relative, especially when we are talking about sports and hobbies. This topic has been on my mind these past two weeks as I sat at my husband’s hospital bedside unsure first if he would...
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Doorway To The Divine
A few years ago, my husband and I prepared to meet other family members and friends at the Pacific Bay Resort, a vacation retreat located in northwest Panama. Since then, we have been yearly visitors,...
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Tranquil Moments
Now that I’m old enough to have wrinkles, I realize that a major joy of the 50+ life stage is the ability to give myself permission to just be. Time to sit and ponder my plans or simply to reflect on...
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Religion And Humor: Funny You Should Ask
What’s So Funny “If it turns out there is a God,” Woody Allen once declared, “I don’t think he’s evil. I think the worst you can say about Him is that He’s an underachiever.” Is it ok to joke about...
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The Healing Dinner Party
Ina Gave Me Courage We had no idea we’d be up for hosting a dinner for the Jewish New Year until 10 days before. We’d stopped hosting dinners–something we loved to do–six weeks ago. Frankly, we were...
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Standing Tall On Racism
Jackie Robinson, 42, made me reflect on my own life. The reality of hatred and racism seems so distant from the comfort and safety of my comfortable Sunday morning. It is unfortunately still an ugly...
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Try This Meditation Now: A Dose of Reality
This is a picture of a sand mandala, a traditional Tibetan Buddhist symbol of transience. Tibetan Buddhist monks perform a ritual of meticulously creating beautiful intricate mandalas from colored...
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