Red's Wrap
Happiness. It's relative.
Category: Marriage, Family, Dogs, and Cat
Death by Suicide
I was in the parking lot of a youth center where I’d just finished an evaluation meeting when my cell phone rang. My former boss, who probably hadn’t called me on the phone in ten years, tracked me down to tell me that my… Continue Reading “Death by Suicide”
The Airplane Window
On my way home from San Diego last night, I stared out the window of the plane for two hours. The cabin was dark with only a few tiny lights on, many empty seats. And silent, no whispering conversations or headphone spillover, no babies crying… Continue Reading “The Airplane Window”
Christmas Story: Everything’s Real
See the diamond earrings? They’re not real. They’re fake. But you probably wouldn’t know by looking at them. I know because my husband told me after he took them to a jewelry store to get appraised. “You’re not going to like this,” he said,… Continue Reading “Christmas Story: Everything’s Real”
I Don’t Agree: My Response to Liza Long’s “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother”
There are many things that make me uncomfortable about Liza Long’s piece, “I am Adam Lanza’s Mother: A Mom’s Perspective on the Mental Illness Conversation in America,” republished by the Huffington Post. I’m not normally one to second guess or criticize other mothers since there… Continue Reading “I Don’t Agree: My Response to Liza Long’s “I Am Adam Lanza’s Mother””
Disabled Doesn’t Mean Broken
Today’s International Day of Persons with Disabilities. I know this because a friend of mind posted this on Facebook and then asked, “How will you celebrate the special folks in your life?” I think I’ll celebrate by writing this blog. My message is for parents… Continue Reading “Disabled Doesn’t Mean Broken”
Two a Day #4: Is Redemption Possible?
How bad or how often does someone have to screw up to make them beyond redemption? What does it take to redeem oneself after showing really bad behavior? What do these questions have to do with this picture of a dog? After years of… Continue Reading “Two a Day #4: Is Redemption Possible?”
Some Things Take a Long Time to Learn
The key to being able to truly feel gratitude is to want less and accept more. I say this, of course, after already having lived a life that has been abundant with many things but knowing that it’s possible and common to have great… Continue Reading “Some Things Take a Long Time to Learn”
On My Mother’s Birthday
We weren’t much for celebrating birthdays in our family. Oh, occasionally, there would be a cake and I do remember one party with an assortment of kids around our dining room table. But it was only once. It’s a family’s mom who organizes things like… Continue Reading “On My Mother’s Birthday”
Two Weeks at Big Girl Camp
What do you learn at Big Girl Camp? What’s the essence of being a big girl? My younger granddaughter has been having a hard time being 6. She complains that all the grown-ups treat her like a baby. She often encourages this by bursting… Continue Reading “Two Weeks at Big Girl Camp”
When Good Trips Go Bad
Nothing is worse than a road trip gone bad. Not flat-tire bad or wrong- turn bad or blown-carburetor bad. Not running-out-of-money bad or food-poisoning bad. Not crummy-motel-with-mice bad. This is all the stuff of hilarity years later, the ‘remember whens’ of family dinners and… Continue Reading “When Good Trips Go Bad”
Snow Door | wisconsinacademy.org
Listen to Jan read her essay “Billy” presented on WUWM’s Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “At the Breakfast Bar” on WUWM Lake Effect
Jan’s essay “The Parish Hall,” on WUWM Lake Effect
“Fury Cannot Touch Me,” Modern Love, NYT, 9/29/11
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