Where I'm published
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How to manage holiday grief and loss
“The holiest of all holidays are those kept by ourselves in silence and apart; the secret anniversaries of the heart.” ~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow If you’re grieving a loss, holiday festivities can feel especially painful and alienating. Last year I wrote a column on managing grief and loss during the holidays for The Sunday Oakland Press. For those who don’t subscribe to the newspaper and can’t open the article links, I’m reposting the column below. EMPTY CHAIRS AT CHRISTMAS, by Cindy La Ferle for The Oakland Press My mother died three months before Christmas eight years ago. Since my father had passed several years earlier, my first Christmas season without Mom…
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What will you be for Halloween?
“I knew who I was this morning, but I’ve changed my mind a few times since then.” ~Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland Even before October rolls around, some of us are already plotting our Halloween costumes. Ever since I was a kid, the idea of “dressing in disguise” has always intrigued me. Some therapists suggest that the masks or costumes you choose — no matter how old you are — might offer clues to your personality, goals, and dreams. In any event, they’re also a wonderful way to express your creativity. To read a short newspaper essay I wrote on this topic, please click here.
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Empty nesting
“It is not what you do for your children; it’s what you have taught them to do for themselves that will make them successful human beings.” ~Ann Landers It’s hard to believe that autumn officially starts on Sunday — and the new school year is now in full swing. Whether your kids have just started grade school or flown off to college, your parental routines are inevitably changing with the season. Today our son is a married man with a family of his own — yet the topic of launching our kids to adulthood remains close to my heart, especially this time of year. I’m reminded of an essay I wrote…
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My Halloween story in Bella Grace
“Anyone could see that the wind was a special wind this night, and the darkness took on a special feel because it was All Hallows’ Eve.” ~Ray Bradbury Bella Grace is the first magazine I reach for when I want to calm down, escape the hard news, and tune out the white noise around me. I often refer to it as a grown-up picture book, with dreamy images that never fail to transport me to another place and time. So, you can imagine how thrilled I was to get my work published in the Autumn 2021 issue (Issue 29). My essay, “I’ve Never Outgrown the Magic of Halloween,” is featured in…
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Summer hasn’t left yet …
“Summer nearly does me in every year. It’s too hot and the light is unforgiving and the days go on way too long.” ~Anne Lamott, humorist and author We tend to think of Labor Day as the end of summer — but the season isn’t officially over until the autumnal equinox, which falls this year on September 22. So let’s not rush things. Grab a cold beverage and head for your front porch or patio. Invite summer to stay a while longer. And while you’re at it, make plans to savor every fair-weather activity you can fit on your calendar for the next couple of weeks. An Oakland Press feature…
