In April of 1983 in the southwest of England, I was a little girl of five years, solemn and intuitive as I knelt on the floor next to my father while he lay on a bed battling a wave of fatigue and discomfort; the rest of my family waiting in another room for the ambulance to arrive. It wa...
What would happen if you sat down, one on one, with 450 successful, unusually impactful people and asked each of them their secrets to performing better as a human being based on their own life experience — and then took the time to statistically analyze their replies and organize what you...
YIELD: 8-9 Servings, about 1 cup each Ingredients: 1 1/2 pounds potatoes (general purpose, Yukon or red) (1 Qt cubes) 1 large head Cauliflower, cut into florets, stems included (2 Qts florets) 1 Tbsp Olive oil, extra virgin (or to taste) 1/4 tsp Black pepper, freshly ground Option...
Both of my parents are one of seven when it comes to their sibling count, which means I have the pleasure of having a diverse group of aunts, uncles and cousins fill up my life. Ever since I was a young, my aunts and uncles represented more than just family. They symbolized a unique sense of...
The unending paradox is that we do learn through pain. — Madeleine L'Engle There I was last Sunday, sitting on my porch reading, when I came across a fascinating and inspiring article in the newspaper. (My porch is my favorite spot to sit, think, read, reflect, dream and write.) Th...
Gate 4-A Wandering around the Albuquerque Airport Terminal, after learning my flight had been detained four hours, I heard an announcement: “If anyone in the vicinity of Gate A-4 understands any Arabic, please come to the gate immediately.” Well – one pauses these days. Gate A...
When author and sailor Max Kennedy agrees to rehabilitate and deliver a dilapidated 90-foot wooden schooner, Valkyrien, to Washington, DC, from San Francisco, via the Panama Canal, he understands it won’t be easy, but little does he know what this journey has in store for him and his skel...
Hanukkah is the Festival of Lights, where Jewish people celebrate the miracle of our small Jewish numbers overcoming tyranny in the Land of Israel. One of the central ideas of Hanukkah is something called “Pirsumei Nisa.” This phrase, which literally translates as “publicizing the mira...
I was frankly shocked when I made these cupcakes for the first time. I took several passes at it and to be honest I was skeptical that when it came to baking unless you use butter, sugar and white flour it wasn’t going to bake up nice and moist or taste good. I was wrong, after a few misse...
