A pall fell over our country just weeks before Christmas when twenty innocent victims, some no older than ten, lost their lives in yet another senseless shooting. Over the last few years, I’ve asked myself time and again, when did this violence begin…and more importantly, why? For me, growing up took place in a simpler, gentler time. School and safety were synonymous. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons I became a teacher. I always loved school!
Over the years, I witnessed our sc

Is that all there is? and then DIE?
I don't think so.....thats what I thought when I was a teen.....then HE TOUCHED ME! Yes, I was blown away when I was on drugs....I was 20 , a college drop out and making pizzas for something to do. I was drinking daily to escape the emptiness of my existence. Sure, it was a facade that I was "partying". I was miserable and God knew it. He was gracious enough to know when to intervene. I was busted a few weeks earlier for having a party with some pot at m

My grandmother recently had a heart attack. About six months ago, she was routinely doing chores and cooking food for my family in India, when she fell to the floor and started having heart pains. My aunt and uncle quickly took her to the clinical practitioner a few doors over and asked what had just happened. The doctor told them she had just had a heart attack! What was amazing was that even with the heart attack, she was able to walk to the doctor’s office. Nevertheless, my grandmother was t

Recently, I have read the series of stories entitled "100 Days of Cancer." It seems that story after story emerges telling tales of heartbreaking deaths and diagnoses. Now, it's my turn. About a month ago or so my best friend's grandmother passed away of lung cancer. Originally, the doctors only gave her about six months to live. As time elapsed and disappeared into a a huge mass of anxiety, no one had prepared themselves for what came next. Then again how could any one have ever predicted thi

A couple of days ago my former writing partner, author and conservative comedian Al Sonja Schmidt, invited me to appear on her new radio program to discuss the topic "Aging Gracefully." Of course I agreed to help a sistah out, mainly because if it weren't for "Sonz" I would have never enjoyed a career as a professional television writer and, quite frankly, because I love the sound of my own voice. However as I began to think about the subject at hand I realized I was probably the most unqualifi

For a sun lover like myself, moving to a warmer climate is such a no-brainer. Unfortunately, my husband is one of those people who enjoys the changing seasons, likes cool weather, and really does not even mind the snow. My goal was clear from the start, his not so much! Many factors played into the decision, and we have talked them over time and again.

-Cost of Living: This is easy. The area where we are looking in Florida is much less expensive than our current area. Home prices ha

I am a grandmother of eight soon to be nine this fall. Two of our grandsons we are raising. We have had them for two years. They are now ages five and six. The five year old has Aspergers Syndrome so that has added little more to our raising them since we now take him for therapy sessions and other doctor appointments whom also treat him for ADHD. While the older one is doing great he did have abandonment issues so he sees a psychologist along with his younger brother to deal with those issues.

We've all seen the ads on TV: "Hi. I'm a busy mother of five, a banking executive, and an amature spelunker. I don't have time for urinary incontinence. That's why I take Flowbrake. If you want to enjoy your life again, ask your doctor about Flowbrake."

After watching the commercial I thought to myself, "Maybe I should ask my doctor about Flowbrake. There was that recent embarrassing incident." I was at the super store when I had to go to the bathroom. Of course it was on the other s

During the many discussions of the healthcare crisis I rarely hear mentioned the real causes of the massive budget shortfalls: too many people need healthcare too often and for too long a time. Tens of millions of people, starting in early or middle adulthood, have to visit their doctors every 6 months to get one or several expensive prescriptions for conditions (like high blood pressure and cholesterol) which could be more easily, cheaply and safely controlled/prevented by healthy diets and l

I'm 36 years old. I'm not a grandparent. The reason I'm posting in this stage is that I think it's safe to say we've all picked up some life lessons from our grandparents at some point in our lives.

Please take a moment to share a life lesson you've learned from your grandmother or grandfather.

Here's mine: "Never give up."

Okay, so this seems a little cliche, I know, but it's a life lesson that is emphasized in my heart and mind everytime I think about m