Published in Middle-Pause·Jul 2Member-onlySupreme Court, My Life, and the LawOutside changes and inner needs — The age of my body says it’s 2022, but the decision to eliminate Roe v Wade turns the clock back to my childhood. It’s the forties or maybe fifties. Women were asked to give up their jobs so the men returning from war could have them. Patriotic women were to…Choices6 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 18Member-onlyStart Teaching Civics AgainIt’s much deeper than that — All through the Trump years, as the president or someone on his team did something unconstitutional, I’d think, “Gosh, we really need to start teaching civics in school again.” Now and then, I’d think he was just dumb. How could a man whose family had so much money provide education…Trump3 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 15Member-onlyFather’s Day is JuneteenthDelayed news of freedom then and now — Eunice Marie Diehl is my birth name. That’s a whole other story. For fourteen years I lived a privileged, if lonely, life as an only child attending private Catholic schools. …Fathers Day5 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 14Member-onlyWhat Is It About Prayer?Guardian angel speech and song in Weehawken, NJ There is a sweetness about prayer that I long to explain for myself as much as to anyone else. As a. young child, prayer was natural for me. God was my best friend, but not outside. God was inside and outside. God…Spirituality5 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 13Member-onlyEmergency RoomBut not for me this time Around midnight Friday, my roommate Marilyn called the Advice Nurse at Oakland Kaiser Permanente. She waited on hold for half an hour. I brushed my teeth and got clothes ready because I sensed that my day was not done. …Relationships3 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 10Member-onlyHeartbreakCollege in the 1960’s and January 6 Trinity in DC for college, 62–66 — Speaker Pelosi two years ahead of me — Watched footage of the Kennedy assassination On dorm TV and stood with DC residents As his funeral cortege passed by. …Culture Change2 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·Jun 9Member-onlyHungryKitchen #1 and #2 Big rounded bowl: Stainless steel reflecting all — Vegetables, lettuces, and cabbage — And the claw-like tool to toss them So the dressing gives a sheen to every piece. Is it summer yet when we forego the soup?Culture Change2 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·May 28Member-onlyWhat’s Peace?Find out what it is — Dr. Barbara Leger founded Temenos in Ukraine in 2001. Through all changes in that country, she continues to advocate for lasting peace and prosperity there. Someone asked her if she knew how to end war. “Yes,” she said. “Begin peace.” The questioner looked puzzled. Dr. …Peace4 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·May 27Member-onlyGunsU.S. crazy love for firearms — I am nearly 80 years old. I was born in Montgomery, Alabama, raised in the suburbs of New York City, and moved to Northern California at 35. Guns are part of my story. We were in Montgomery because my father was training Army Air Force pilots. People were shooting at…Guns3 min read
Published in Swing Wide the Gate·May 22Member-onlyHolding Back the DreamReview and looking foward — So many years of wishing, So much riffraff in the way Put blame aside and let myself sing: I release it all and let myself play. I thought it was this; I thought it was that- The riffraff harness that restrained me. Not good enough-I always knew it! And this one and that…Dreams2 min read
