“It is never too late to be what you were meant to be.” George Elliott (Mary Ann Evans) “Live your life while you have it. Life is a splendid gift.” Florence Nightingale. Inspirational words from wise women. When Tears of My Heart was not published by my self-imposed deadline of […]
Estelle O'Connell
We have no control over the passage of time, only over the way we choose to spend it. I recently came across the life philosophies of two very diverse individuals who shared a common theme: Take one day at a time and live it the best you can. Ilona Royce Smithkin, […]
Growing Older, Not Getting Old
Lord Have your Angels every day Watch and guide Us on our way The belief in angels can be traced far back into antiquity. Pagans like Menander and Plutarch, and Neo-Platonists, like Plotinus, held it. It was also the belief of the Babylonians and Assyrians, as their monuments testify (the […]
Angels and Miracles
4 In the early morning hours of Monday, September 2nd, a 75-foot commercial diving boat, the Conception, was wrapping up a Labor Day weekend excursion when it burst into blames off the coast of Santa Cruz Island in California. Thirty-four people who were sleeping below deck were trapped. They died pursuing […]
Lost at Sea
3 Families are like branches on a tree. We grow in different directions, yet our roots remain as one. (Author Unknown) As I mentioned in my previous post (Love Grows On, August 7, 2019). The publication of my book Je t’aime resulted in my being contacted by someone who had done […]
Rekindling Relationships
2 When one door of happiness closes,another opens; but often we look so long at the closed door that we do not see the one which has been opened to us. Helen Keller Je t’aime was written as a tribute to my parents and the very special relationship they shared. Their […]
Love Grows On
Thank you for your interest in my […]
Tears of My Heart – Order form
6 Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint. (Isaiah 40:31) For most of us living in this fast-paced twenty-first century world, life is like a merry-go-round that […]
A Timely Message
4 Earlier this week I hosted a book club discussion of The Day the World Came to Town, 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede., an inspiring true story that spotlights kindness in a world fraught with division, terrorism and hate. A few weeks ago I saw Come From Away, the […]
Opportunity for Kindness
3 On Monday, the day after Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week on the Christian calendar, marking Christ’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem, flames engulfed the Cathedral of Notre Dame and shot into the air. The spire fell. The structure was collapsing before our eyes. Embers and ash rained down from […]
The Message of Notre Dame de Paris
3 The current interest in ancestry is all the rage–people looking for their roots. I was blessed to have grown up with all four grandparents, several aunts and uncles and many, many cousins all living in close proximity. My BelovED was not so fortunate, but there were threads we were able […]
Edmond and Julia
My cousin Jean. Her father and mine were first cousins, which would make us second cousins; but she was more like a big sister to me. A beautiful person in every respect, she will be remembered for her charm, kindness and generosity. May she rest among the angels. Income Tax– […]
Time Out for Tears and Taxes
3 Hers was not a typical childhood. The daughterof missionaries; she called upon her childhood experiences to write a series of novels about the Chinese people. A Nobel Prize winner, her masterpiece was The Good Earth. She of course, was Pearl S. Buck and she said, “You cannot make yourself feel […]
Doing What is Right
5 In my case IBM stands for Irish by Marriage, proudly proclaimed by the button I wear each St. Patrick’s Day along with a second button declaring “Happiness is being Married to an Irishman.” I was born into and am still very proud of my Polish heritage, but my surname has […]
What IBM Means To Me
3 This week (March 7th) would have been my sister Cathie’s birthday. She passed away in February, 2012, but her memory and spirit live on in our hearts and minds. She had a particular fondness for ladybugs; so in her honor we formed The Catherine F. Sladowski Memorial Ladybug Sorority, originally […]
Coccinellidae
4 When I first made the commitment to tell my Father’s story in November of 2014, I wanted to do something that would make it endure and be a permanent tribute. To start, MY belovED and I formed a company, EOC Enterprises, LLC, with all the necessary legal and financial documentation […]
It’s Official!
3 It’s Oscar Season. The nominations have been announced; the votes are being collected, counted and calculated; and the winners will be announced on Sunday, February 24th, at the Dolby Theater in Los Angeles amidst much pomp and pageantry. I’m not a great fan of the event but am proud to […]
The Envelope, Please
5 True, the gift arrived a day late, but it was worth the wait. On Friday, February 15th an eight pound, nine ounce bundle of joy was added to our little family and welcomed by myriad aunts, uncles and cousins. Through the years she continued to be a source of pride and […]
My Special Valentine
1 How Do I Love You? Let Me Count the Ways In the Lessons of Life we are taught the first one is to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. How is that done? I LOVE YOU when I SMILE and give you one of mine for free or pass […]
Introducing eBear
2 They are known as Tony and Jo, but he calls her Josephine, and she refers to him as “You Know Who.” To the casual observer they do not appear to be a lovey- dovey couple prone to public displays of affection; in fact, their relationship on the surface at times […]
That’s Amore!
3 Embracing Change: Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the bride of aviator Charles Lindbergh, gained fame for her bestselling book, Gift from the Sea. Anne had sound advice about the changing tides of life. “It is only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, that true security is found.” For each of us, […]
Inspirational Hugs
4 The seventeen-year-old was identified as Connor Joseph Golembiewski of Flemington, NJ, born on October 31st, 2001. I had attended the wedding of his parents, Mike and Veronica, the year before. His grandmother Mary was first cousin to My BelovED. She had emigrated from Ireland as a teenager, lived across the […]
Honoring Connor
2 Harken back to middle school when you returned from a break and were given the assignment to write an essay on “What I Did on My (fill in the blank) Vacation.” Well today I’d like to tell you how I spent Christmas this year. The holidays of my childhood were […]
A Different Christmas
6 Although the weather is frequently dull and dreary, the last nine weeks of the year have always been a fun and festive season of celebration for me: the trick and treating of Halloween (10/31); election day (depending on the outcome); our Wedding Anniversary (11/5- we were blessed with fifty-six); our […]