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Beginner's Heart

In a country where we throw away edible food to the tune of 133 BILLION pounds annually, we still have 1 in 6 Americans hungry. And 1 in 4 of them are children. Little kids — like my adored (and well-fed) grandson. You read those figures correctly: “In the United States, 31 percent—or 133 billion…

Today I celebrate two births: my elder son’s and my  mother’s. Bittersweet, remembering how happy Mother was when Nathan was born on her birthday (the REAL Memorial Day, you know!). Family. What really matters. More than almost anything, to those in mine. Of course, we define that wider than blood: the dear friend whom I…

Today for breakfast, I had a large helping of hope. Given the political climate in Oklahoma these days, I needed it. I had the pleasure of listening to the keynote address for the 2014 John Hope Franklin Center for Reconciliation’s Symposium, Dr. Freeman Hrabowski. When I was in Birmingham last year, attending the National Humanities…

This is total Buddhism, folks. Despite the hijab covering her head, and her Palestinian djellabah, this Muslim woman is practicing the most Buddhist of actions: living in the moment, making it into peace and beauty. She has taken tear gas canisters, thrown over several years in clashes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians, and converted them…

If you haven’t read the Twitter site #yesallwomen, eat breakfast first. I didn’t, and won’t be able to eat for a while. Because it’s true, America: ALL women. N.B.: do men suffer violence? Of course. But today is not the time I’m going there. Today, let’s talk (again & again, until we GET IT) about…

I write frequently about being kind to our own flawed and fallible selves. Because I see so many people talking to and about themselves in ways they wouldn’t address horrible strangers. I hear dear friends talk about themselves as failures, citing their inability to walk serenely through their overwhelming lives. Colleagues badmouth their work; acquaintances…

Today my amazing, beautiful, beloved and perfect grandson has been here for a year. And I’ve been able to see him several times during that year. Each time, I’ve learned from him. HUGELY important lessons, like attention. Listening. Focus. Laughter. The importance of touch, and the necessity of love. How you earn it: even with…

For Mother’s Day this year, I received the following: a promise of tea with my younger son — as well as a lovely note — and the world’s greatest manual pencil sharpener from my elder son. You may think those are pretty disparate gifts, but they accurately pinpoint two very important parts of my life…

If you’re one of the sad Americans who think the New Yorker is a liberal rag, or that it’s too highbrow for you, bear with me. The real answer to both of these ersatz questions is c) neither of the above. Case in point, this week’s issue, which features an amazing article about a physicist. Yup,…

pharisaical: (adjective) characterized by hypocritical self-righteousness; putting emphasis on strict observance of rituals unrelated to the spirit or meaning of the ceremony. Somehow this word feels appropriate in today’s  political arena. I’m always so horrified when a religious leader finds it okay to drive  children to suicide. Or invade funerals with so-called religion. Or kill…
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