The Eldest

In order to know yourself, you need to understand where and even who you came from, and in my life, that’s a lot. These larger than life icons informed most everything that defines me, from their striking curiosity about life to their endless devotion to family. Through my mother’s eyes I learned nothing but admiration for her two older sisters. The eldest possessing a brilliant mind that saw no limits, making the cliche of a life-long learner her mantra. The middle sister organized like no other, from the Director of Early Education for the New York City Board of Education to most every niece or nephews’ birthday party: doing both jobs with equal furor. My mother, the youngest, brought the big laugh and warm embrace, turning acquaintances into best friends with ease. But the sisters were entwined in such a way that they shared their strengths, their capabilities, and even their truths. If I didn’t know that when I was a child observing them as distinctive entities, I learned it when first my mother passed, and then another sister, until the oldest was the last one to call me Moira love. She made sure to love me with every bit of her sisters’ traits, and watch over me until her final days. At nearly 98 when she passed on March 1st, her care for my heart and soul was more of a gift than I could ever repay, keeping all her sisters alive within me: all their separation dissolved.

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Date with Myself

It’s winter break for most schools in Vermont, and that means, while many arrive to ski or board, those of us who live here, migrate away for the week. Early March you would typically find me in SoCal, but as I am still in rest and recuperation mode, I decided to make like a tourist, visit my neighboring town of Stowe, and enjoy a staycation date with myself. Simply a grand idea, and one that certainly made my mood soar.

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Convalescing: Stage 3

How does anyone navigate healing? When you are sent home after surgery there is a feeling that you have been set adrift upon unknown waters. As I mentioned in my last few posts I am eternally grateful for the visiting nurse and the many check-ins from the hospital, but still, you are generally left wondering if you are doing what you should in order to fully return to your productive self. Now that I am just about one month on my recovery journey, I have discovered a few helpful tips, which I hope will help anyone who is convalescing after surgery or is on the road back from an injury, and these I will share.

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