Crowning the Virgin Mary
/It never lost its magic the way most things do. You get older, you look up close and you see the strings on puppets, cards up the trickster's sleeve. Childhood pleasures seldom stand up to adult scrutiny. Except every once in a while, the magic lingers, and a long-awaited moment doesn't disappoint.
When my friend Beth was in fifth grade, she prayed for the one thing she wanted more than anything in the world to crown the…
Read MoreEvery Girl's a Prom Queen
/How I hate contests. I hate them because they divide people into winners and losers and there are always more losers than winners, more people walking away with their heads bowed than with their heads held high.
Maybe I'd feel differently if I had been the first kid always picked for a team. But from Red Rover to kickball to softball, I never was…
Read MoreDrunk drivers' victims
/They all come back. Every time there's another delay in the still pending drunk driving legislation. Every time someone shrugs off drinking and driving as something everyone does. Every time some judge who should know better treats drunk drivers as good guys who've slipped up a little, but didn't really mean to do anything wrong. Then, every parent…
Read MoreWhen It Comes to the Bruins, Husband on Thin Ice
/Normally, he is like Henry Higgins: an "ordinary man, even-tempered and good-natured whom you'd never hear complain, who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein." But let the Bruins in his life …
And my husband becomes a wild man. Here's a guy who is generally unflappable. We miss a plane to Lincoln, Nebraska because someone read…
Read MoreSpring shadows seem longer
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I find myself lingering over the travel section in newspapers these days, dreaming of all the places I'd like to visit, pausing at photographs of breaking waves and sandy beaches and gardens in bloom, stopping to reread sentences like, "In parks and plazas, Boston wrings pleasure from longer, warmer days." "Wrings pleasure." It's a nice image, an interesting juxtaposition of words.
Read MoreThe Germany Doll
/The dress was in a Filene's bag, upstairs, in my bedroom, on top of the ironing board. I bought it Saturday, brought it home, tried it on, didn't like it and was planning on returning it. It never occurred to me that someone would actually come into my room, steal the bag and leave the dress behind.
But this is exactly what…
Read MoreMoms recognized only one day
/I bought her bright blue stretch pants and a bright blue flowered blouse to match. My mother never wore stretch pants. Still, she put them on and left the house.
'How come you don't wear your new outfit to work, Mom…
Read MoreAmy cartwheeled through life
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Another year passes, another begins. Amy died 10 years ago today, in her mother's arms, struggling to stay alive even at the end. Every breath meant another few minutes of everything she knew, everyone she loved.' I want you to come with me,' she whispered to her mother as death approached. 'I wish I could, sweetie,' her mother said holding her, holding to her. 'But this is something you have to do …
Read MoreBruin’s Fan Skates on Thin Ice
/Normally, he is like Henry Higgins an 'ordinary man, even-tempered and good-natured whom you'd never hear complain, who has the milk of human kindness by the quart in every vein.' But let the Bruins in his life . . .
And my husband becomes a wild man. Here's a guy who is generally unflappable. We miss a plane to Lincoln, Neb., because someone read the ticket wrong and he actually says, 'Hey. What's the big deal. We'll fly to Omaha and rent a car. It'll be an adventure…
Read MoreNow It's Too Late
/I didn't notice when the letters stopped. Why didn't I? That's what I wonder now. They arrived regularly for four, five, maybe six years. They were funny and earnest and filled with wisdom and advice. I looked forward to them. They made me smile. In the beginning I answered every one, though not fast enough for Chuck. He called me a terrible pen pal so…
Read MoreA Daughter at Work '50s Style
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It would be the height of political incorrectness to denigrate in any way the 'Take Our Daughters to Work' effort. What, after all, is not to like about the idea? Grab a young girl and if you teach, take her into the classroom, if you litigate, take her into the courtroom, if you work anywhere, take a young girl along.
Read MoreTV Show Brings Hope
/'We read to know that we are not alone.'
The celebrated British author and lecturer, C.S. Lewis, whose life is depicted in the movie 'Shadowlands,' must have said these words often for they are repeated throughout the film 'We read to know that we are not alone…
Read MoreThis Death is No 'Accident'
/I say it every time they leave the house Don't drink and drive. I don't know if they hear me. I say it so often it's background noise. The only words I say more often are 'I love you.' They're 22 and 24 my oldest children. They go out. They socialize. They drink. We all do. I go out. I socialize. I drink…
Read MorePolice death pay divides a family
/All families have their disagreements. This one - between Herald columnist Beverly Beckham and her father Lawrence Curtin, a retired MDC Police officer, over a bill now being considered on Beacon Hill - we think is worth sharing with our readers.
Read MorePolice Death Pay Divides a Family
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I never kissed my father goodbye without thinking that it might be the last time I would see him. I always knew his job was dangerous. He once shot out the tires of a robber speeding away. It was written up in a newspaper. My mother saved the clipping, and I used to look at it and wonder what would have happened if the robber had shot back? What would life have been like if my father had been killed…
Read MoreEasters of Yesteryear
/Easter is an old-fashioned day. Nothing equals it anymore. The stores are closed and people actually get dressed up for church. Women wear hats. Little girls wear dresses. Boys put on shoes instead of sneakers, men put on sports coats and ties, and all the babies look like expensive new dolls.
After church, families get…
Read MoreThe Lessons of Good Friday
/'He taught us so much more about life than he did about death.'
This is what the mother of 21-month-old Kyle Fitzpatrick said this week, after her son succumbed to a 10-month battle with leukemia.
He taught us more about life than he did about death. The words stand out because they come from a woman who might just as easily have screamed…
Read MoreEaster goes retail
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The thing I always liked about Easter, the holiday, as opposed to Easter the holy day, was its simplicity. It was like the season it landed in, fine all by itself. It didn't need to be dressed up the way Christmas is. It didn't need bright lights and tinsel and bold colors like red and gold and green. Easter was pastels and cotton dresses…
Read MoreMan's Best Friend is Loyal and Devoted Right Down to the End
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The story made the 17-year-old choke on her Corn Flakes. 'This is gross. This is disgusting. Did you read this? It's horrible.' Indeed it was. It was 'Pet Semetary' come to life, the true tale of a dog that died, was buried and rose from the dead. Except Brownie didn't really die. His owner ran over him and the dog looked dead, so
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