60: (October 2026)
There is so much that can be said about this exquisite time of year in New England. The brilliant display of colors offered by the surrounding forests is almost too much beauty to behold. But it is hard not to feel weighted down by what is going on in the greater world. Many Americans are feeling divided, pinched financially, skeptical of our institutions, and worried about our democracy. We are at war with Iran, Ukraine and Russia battle on, and the Israeli/Gaza conflict continues.
Voting in the midterm elections is the most immediate thing we can do in response. Voting is our power, yet so many people in our country relinquish that by not participating. The system is surely not perfect, and we may not even like any of the candidates, but we cannot simply stand by while our sense of civility, morality, justice, rule of law, and understanding of what true global leadership means slip further out of our collective hands.
I can only hope that by voting for Democrats that the relentless destruction being done to unravel our democracy will begin to take a turn. There has been so much damage. I am alarmed at how the press and educational institutions have been attacked by the current administration. I am ashamed at the violence that ICE has wreaked on neighborhoods, and I abhor the fact that ICE has not been held accountable for the murders of Renee Good, Alex Pretti, and others. I do not condone this war with Iran. I am angered by the fact that the insurrectionists who stormed our capital, threatened our elected officials, and brutalized police officers were pardoned. I am disheartened that U.S. Agency for International Development was dismantled. I am sickened by the fact that so many environmental protections were rolled back. I could go on and on.
The bottom line is that November 3 is the day to vote in the midterm elections. Please vote and be part of the wind shift that our country desperately needs; your vote matters.
40: (October 2006)
I went to a big love-fest last weekend. It was a wedding for one of my cousins on my mother’s side of the family. I had not seen this cousin in a long time, because when my uncle left his marriage 20 years ago, my aunt was so distraught that she cut off all contact with his family. As a result, I did not see my three cousins much after that. When my marriage suffered a similar fate a few years ago, my aunt called me from out of the blue. She had heard about my impending divorce through the infamous grapevine that seems to work despite great geographic distances, and she called to offer me comfort, a gesture that touched me deeply. We resumed regular contact after that.
So when the youngest of the three cousins was to be married, it was a potential time, not only of celebration, but also of reunion. Her oldest brother called to encourage me to go to this out-of-state event, pointing out that it was better to rally for a happy event than a sad one, such as a funeral. My brother, sister, and I all concurred, boarded airplanes, and flew across the country to be at the wedding.
During the wedding and reception, I kept thinking of all the ways love had worked its magic for the day. There was the obvious love between the wedding couple; they appear to adore each other, as well as share in a sense of fun. After they were formally introduced at the wedding, they surprised the guests by breaking into a fully choreographed dance to “I’ve Had the Time of My Life.” It was an amazing combination of Fred Astaire meets Dirty Dancing. Then there were the toasts, dozens of them, made by family and friends whose love for this couple was eloquently and sometimes humorously expressed. There was the fact that my siblings and I were there, because my aunt had reached out and reestablished contact—and that my sister had given me a plane ticket to go to the wedding through her frequent flyer program, so that the expense wouldn’t be a burden to me.
Then there was the fact that my cousin, the bride, has cystic fibrosis. She has held it at bay for more than 30 years. And despite that backdrop, she forges forward with courage, hope, and love, to claim her own power, her own belief that there can be a happily-ever-after. The renewing power of love. Miraculous. I had the time of my life.
60-40:
People get married. Milestones of all sorts are celebrated by families and friends. Babies are born. Life goes on.
The drama of each of our lives is enacted on our own small stage, each moored to the larger world stage. We are all connected and dependent upon each other, even if those tethers are not immediately visible. Vote on November 3. It matters.
