Watching 9/11 from My Office Windows

I was a young mid-level marketing manager working in New York City on 9/11. I remember sitting at my desk the night before going over the information for my first day of graduate school as rain poured against the eaves of our tiny Long Island apartment. Newlywed, living in about 800 square feet, working in…

My Dog, My Teacher

I'd forgotten the simple truth of dogs: they are our greatest teachers. When you work with a dog, you must learn your own lessons first before you can teach a dog his lessons. Some of you know that after two years of being dog-less since Shadow, my German shepherd's death from cancer, we chose to…

Why I’m Not Getting Another Shelter Rescued Dog

This weekend, we visited a German shepherd breeder to meet her and visit with the parents of our hopefully soon-to-be puppy. No, I'm not adopting a shelter dog this time around. Surprised ? I am, too. But I know it's the right decision for my family. Here's why. Many of my friends know the story…

What Recurring Dreams Have to Tell Us

What do recurring dreams tell us? Have you ever had the same dream, or similar dreams, night after night? Recurring dreams feature prominently in my forthcoming novel, the latest book in the Majek family mystery series, I See You. In the novel, David and his family experience similar dreams, linked to a mystery from the…

Hitting the Wall: Life Lessons

This past week, I hit the wall. I pushed my body to the maximum and could go no further. Yet I did go on. I had to. I was about two or more miles from my car and night was rapidly approaching. Here’s what I learned from moving beyond my body’s self-imposed physical limitations. What…

I Am Grateful I Can Walk, and I Have the Blisters to Prove It

I am grateful I can walk. I have the blisters to prove it. I walked a charity 5K on Saturday and hiked 11+ miles on Monday. Here's what I did and why I did it. Who said writers were sedentary creatures? I don't talk much about my childhood, except for the good parts of course…

A Few Thoughts a Few Months Shy of the Big 5-0

I'm a few months shy of turning the big 5-0, but middle age is on my mind. A lot. Every snap, crackle and pop of every joint in my body sounds like a warning knell to old age. I'm starting to think about retirement. I'm only a few years away from qualifying for the 'mature'…

Learning to Ride a Bicycle – Again

I'll admit it; I'm not the most athletic person. I vowed to change that this year. I'm tired of being fat, tired of being tired, tired of aching all the time. I took an inventory of all the times in my past when I was able to lose weight - what worked well? What didn't…

The $20 Prom Dress

Family stories shape and mold our expectations of the world around us. Some families believe in positive myths - "We always win!" Other families believe negative stories - "Nothing every goes right for us." In my family, one simple saying guides us: When you need it, God provides. We have a knack in my family…

Out with Them All – All the Way to Rome

In case you've been living under a rock - or you aren't Catholic - a Grand Jury report from the state of Pennsylvania came out on August 15, 2018, that is shocking not in its 1,000+ pages of details of sexual misconduct, abuse, and criminal behavior by the Catholic clergy in Pennsylvania but by how…