Over Labor Day weekend I visited the 9/11 Memorial and Museum (https://www.911memorial.org/museum). I have visited the Memorial before, but not the Museum. I had heard from friends and colleagues that the Museum was a powerful experience, but I could not mentally frame what that experience would be like prior to actually experiencing it. I still [...]
On this day, let us remember the fallen. Let us recognize the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in military service to the United States. These are the Americans who deserve our respect and admiration. They gave their lives in support and defense of this country's ideals. They fought in conflicts and wars of others' [...]
Yesterday was my mother's birthday, but I was so preoccupied with other things that I didn't even realize the date until the evening. Typically, I write about my mom every October 24th. It is my way of paying homage to my mom's memory and the gifts she gave me. It has been 11 years now [...]
Why do we create memorials? I think we do so as a promise to ourselves and to those who the memorial honors - a promise that we shall not forget. Because there is no magic in a memorial itself, however beautiful and thoughtful it may be, it is only a marker of the promise. It [...]
Those who are currently serving or have served in the military, those who have a loved one who is serving or has served in the military, and those who have lost a loved one that served in the military tend to have a somber recognition of what Memorial Day seeks to honor. I hesitate to [...]
I have been touched by the gestures of solidarity toward Newtown, Connecticut that have been evident from around the world. TIME magazine posted photos of some of the vigils and tributes. The television show The Voice started its show earlier this week with a somber, dignified, respectful, and understated performance of Hallelujah by the coaches and show contestants as [...]
When we lose people in our lives it is interesting the things we hold on to. We may hold on to old photos, personal belongings, or mementos. Things that matter much more to us now than they ever did when the person was alive. It is because they are the things we have left - the [...]
THE NEW FORTY 