Over the last couple of years, I’ve become a big fan of Glennon Doyle, the author and activist. A writer for years, she became one of Oprah’s acolytes with her captivating books on relationships. She recently released Untamed about the demise of her marriage and the re-creation of her family with her subsequent marriage to Abby Wambach, the now retired …
No doubt, this has been a dark time in New York City. With the Covid-19 pandemic, there have been an unspeakable number of New Yorkers infected with the virus, with a staggering mortality rate. Beyond that, we’ve not even started to comprehend the long-term economic impact of this hellish chapter in our nation’s history. That being said, I felt the …
When I conceived of this section of my new website, I felt it was important to feature the good works of “celebrities,” for lack of a better word, but also to write about the experiences, both triumphant and challenging, of people with whom I have a relationship. And, so…drumroll, please, I introduce you to my friend Nora Pierson. She’s a …
I came up with the idea for the Single Girl and the City blog late last year. I wanted a kicky little site where I could write about topics that didn’t necessarily relate to my work as a Celebrant. As a single gal of a “certain age,” I envisioned cheerful posts about interesting places and activities in our wonderful city. …
In E.B. White’s classic little volume Here is New York, he writes, “New York is the concentrate of art and commerce and sport and religion and entertainment and finance, bringing to a single compact area the gladiator, the evangelist, the promoter, the actor, the trader and the merchant.” As any first-time visitor about their plans for a trip to New …
I’ve been surprised that despite my resistance, there have been some little points of light to our “Shelter in Place” order here in New York. I’m not ready to take the Gwyneth Paltrow line about how social isolation is a good time to learn a new language or skill, like knitting. However, I have been pleased about some good things …
“Memories” on Facebook are funny things. They can remind us of simple, sweet moments, grand occasions, or even bitter losses. Today, my “memories” featured a picture of the fabulous Cathedral in Reykjavik, Iceland. The Hallgrimskirkja Church is the most iconic urban landmark in this truly extraordinary country. I visited Iceland one Easter a number of years ago. I miss being …
I’ve been having a challenging time sorting out my soup of emotions experienced during this pandemic. Sitting squarely in America’s epicenter, New York City, the empty streets in my FiDi neighborhood are punctuated by the ambulances racing towards New York Presbyterian hospital’s “Trinity” outpost. My news-addiction, stoked by the earlier impeachment proceedings, is full blown as MSNBC plays day and …
One of the reasons I became a Celebrant is because my family of origin didn’t spend much time marking occasions, happy or sad. I’ve mentioned many times that we struggled with illness and my own father’s departure when we were wee tots. So, there were practical and emotional reasons that not much was made of the holidays. My grandmother did …
These are difficult days, with the Covid-19 pandemic in bloom, but I wanted to share one personal anecdote about staying close in the time of this virus. A friend of mine is in a “vulnerable demographic” here in New York—older and with a pre-existing pulmonary condition. He made the hard decision to cease seeing his son and his family (including …