I remember a conversation with my friend Cindy not long after my mom had died in 2014 and while I was thinking about launching this whole website and book writing adventure that I was incubating. I told her about my hopes for the website and some of my ideas about blogging and the book that I wanted to write. And I was surprised when her response to me was an understated, “It sounds to me like you have a lot to say.” That was truly some much-needed wisdom and affirmation at a hard and busy time for me. And now,...
Last updated: December 7, 2025 According to Joanne Freeman, history professor at Yale, we are living in a time of “extreme contingency.” The political landscape in the United States is dire. I tediously and obsessively watch the news daily, with growing concern. Universities, corporations, media outlets, and law firms are being extorted by officials in the White House. The economy of the United States is spiraling downward, driven largely by the imposition of steep tariffs and an increasing number of layoffs. Masked agents sweep up immigrants and citizens alike, and detention camps are being set up across the country to...
Last updated: May 17, 2026 I recently came across this quote from Toni Morrison on Instagram and immediately wanted to include it in my upcoming book, Women Give Voice to Wisdom. [Update: Women Give Voice to Wisdom now available on Amazon here.] This is the final quote I selected for the book, and all of the permissions to use excerpts from the writings of other women are now solid and in place. Thank God – that took forever!! The story behind this quote is that Toni Morrison was complaining to a friend, after George W. Bush won the presidency in...