‘Gratitude’ has re-entered our cultural vernacular and don’t we have more to consider this year than ever before. In our swirling world of news and trending topics that challenge our beliefs, it seems we can all camp out on the same word: gratitude.

Thanksgiving is the season that might bring a college kid home, (unless they took an unexpected pandemic gap year) and puts a turkey (or a Tofurkey) on most tables. The traditional Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is going to be different, televised but without Santa and the thousands of people who were ready to march in a band, or hold a balloon and smile at crowds on the sidewalk. Hopefully they will watch with gratitude for the safety measures that need to be taken and the expectation that they will have another chance at that experience.

My oldest daughter has a TikTok she’d like to do with me, she’ll share the details later. Is it a viral dance, a challenge, a duet? I’m afraid to use that app as hours fade fast when you're watching someone else drinking cranberry juice while skateboarding to ...

My sister has finished her Christmas shopping, and she’s not the only one. COVID has ushered a time of combined shopping deals and ample time to get the gifts ordered, wrap it, pack it, and put it away until Christmas Eve. My sister has been working from home since ...

This pandemic started with a list of things that were canceled, and we fought that with things that weren’t, like family dinner time, hope, hikes, bikes, naps, and love. Now, as schools, restaurants, and gyms reopen, I wonder how long this image of “real life” will ...

Once again, children and families are faced with the consequences of the pandemic: how are we going to Trick or Treat? However, the options and the people dedicated to making Halloween happen are impressive. I’ve seen drive-thru jack-o-lantern socially-distant pumpkin ...

“I’m sorry, I’m late I slept in today,” is how my friend Cathy greeted me, and it was one of the best things I’d heard that day. Cathy is a well-planned, uber-organized, high-level corporate assistant. The arrival of this pandemic has increased her workload, ...

My Wonder Woman themed face mask gets more attention than I was expecting. The checkout clerk at Target struck up an interesting conversation, stating that Wonder Woman was a real person, and her husband created the lie detector test, hence her golden lasso of truth. ...

Is it really time for the pumpkin spice? Quarantine has given time a new meaning, or, lack thereof. It feels like I woke up one day in a swimsuit, and now everyone is wearing flannel. Autumn’s abrupt entrance means we are ready to get spicy. Pumpkin Spice, of course. ...

Like many other women and moms, I’ve been chatting on Zoom with my friends, hearing about their experiences with the COVID-impacted back to school season, and their heartfelt understanding of the difficulties and daily victories. My conclusion? COVID sucks, but women ...

Seeing a Tim Hortons was a new, but welcome sight as I departed my plane at a Canadian airport. Tim had coffee and that's what I needed, I ordered a large drip with room for cream. What i was given was a very, very small sized cup. I brought it back requesting my large ...