Follow Friday: Notable and Newsworthy

So it’s been a busy week in terms of news. Everyone is still reeling from the May 1^st headlines so in case you’ve been suffering from a mediasphere hangover, I’d like to share a few key news stories that you may have missed:

Florida does it again. It seems that the Florida legislature may have inadvertently made sex illegal. Oh, Florida….what are we going to do with you? You can’t manage the 2000 election. You lead the country in bank foreclosures and your government is facing a shortfall of over $3 billion. You’re not even really part of “The South.” Maybe we should give Puerto Rico a turn. Or sell the whole state to Disney World.

Meanwhile, while we’re all still giddily euphoric over the Royal Wedding, we were slammed with the news that a branch of America’s royal family has been pruned. Arnold Schwarzenneger is no longer a Kennedy. Maybe it’s all part of the Governator’s plan to be the next Bruce Wayne. Maybe Maria feels the need to search for an eligible bachelor politician who might actually be able to serve as president of the United States. Whatever the reason, thank goodness we have the birth of Mariah Carey’s twins to distract us.

With news like this, it’s enough to think that the world might just be coming to an end. May 21, 2011? October 21, 2011? December 21, 2012? Nobody is really sure of the truth. Well, some people seem pretty sure of the truth. I personally liked the Huffington Post’s 21 reasons why May 21 is not the end of the world. I guess we’ll know for sure in a few days.

Might just be one more Follow Friday left. Get it while it lasts!

The Edge of Seventeen

It's that time of year when the blog musings center on my grief journey. Every year, it seems like we are busy with end-of-the-year school activities and the start of summer, planning vacations, and then (kablam)...it's almost July 9. Grief is funny. Grief is weird. I remember very early after Charlotte died, I watched the movie Rabbit Hole. There's an amazingly poignant scene where Nicole Kidman's character is talking with another woman who lost a child over 10 years before (played by Dianne Wiest). She talks about grief being like a brick in your pocket. It never goes away. Sometimes you can even forget it's there. But it comes back and makes its presence known from time to time. And (she says) "it's what you have of them." I probably did not fully realize then what a powerful and true analogy that is. As time goes on, our grief changes. Yet, it is always there on the edge of things. It sits in that pocket and sometimes makes itself known. This...

To everything there is a season

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How to be Human

If the last few years have taught us anything, it is that life is complicated and challenging in many ways. Most days, I'm exhausted. Are you exhausted? During the early part of 2022, though, I had the chance to read three books that really helped me frame my frustration, angst, and anxiety about the world. All of these books are recently published, based on solid research, and approach their subjects in a way that makes them understandable and relatable to everyone. If you read even one of these books, I guarantee that you will learn things, gain perspective about the world, and discover insights about yourself and your humanity. Each book also touches on the role the COVID-19 pandemic has had on our lives and on our society so they are certainly timely. I will share my individual reviews for each book that I published on my Goodreads profile. If you have read any of these books recently, would love to hear your thoughts as well! Atlas of the Heart by Brene Bro...

I See What You Meme

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