On a recent Sunday morning, much too early for my usual public emergence, I participated in a yard sale with my friends. Since I keep Amvets on speed dial I didn’t have much to sell; I happily purge my tiny abode any chance I get. Yet I joined in to support my friends, both had worked hard to clear their spaces of extraneous stuff, and for the early morning camaraderie between the three of us who were there to hawk our worn wares. It was a typical San ...

Words. Weighty things, they are. Words can cut us to the quick, heal past hurts, and cause deep and lasting memories—good and bad. The words we use can influence our states of mind, our states of being, and how others perceive our intentions. Why are words so powerful and why should we care? When we choose certain words, whether unconsciously or with much deliberation, we paint a picture through the metaphors that these words create and the symbols that the words represent. To whit: Death tax versus Estate tax. ...

Thursday night, July 23, 2010, at 11:15 p.m., in the company of friends and family, I said good-bye to the longest-term live-in companion I have known. Cradling my beautiful Persian cat, Murphy, in my lap, I made the difficult decision to let him pass from this realm to the next. The week leading up to his passing was exhausting for both of us. I took him to the vet—I think it was on Monday—where I awaited a diagnosis. He had lost a lot of weight, and his appetite, and the ...