The tree was decorated in record time, and I’m not sure how. My husband’s mother presented him with an ornament each Christmas, throughout childhood, and continued the tradition with me once I became wife, and only stopped after the birth of our second child, because there was no room for them on the tree.

As the oldest of 8, I’ve longed for ease around the holidays, long before I became a mother, so I might have been pleased, and relieved, and overjoyed, at how effortlessly our tree was adorned this night.

I looked around the livingroom and saw that we were all grown. The boys both taller than me. Both drinking eggnog from grown-up glasses.

I felt a bit sad.

My older son–who had to be dragged through holiday rituals in his teen years–participated without struggle. In fact, he over-participated. Ornaments flew from the table to the tree with a…

That time of year thou mayest in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang.

~Sonnet # 73

This poem returns to haunt me each autumn in the voice of Dr. George–my freshman English professor from Saint Joes University in Philadelphia.

It’s only now, 25 years later, as I enter the autumn of my own life, that I begin to understand why George was moved to tears when he recited this particular Shakespearean sonnet.

That time of year thou mayest in me behold
When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang

At 18, I couldn’t understand how a poem could make anyone cry–let alone a grown man in a suit–who was old (but only generically so, like everyone else over 30.)

It was my junior year in London that I got word that Professor George actually died.

Upon whose boughs which shake against the cold,
bare…

Celebrate the expansive energy of the sun with the nourishing energy of the moon~in a circle of woman gathering for retreat, relaxation, rejuvenation~with offerings & rates that flex with your summer schedule:

Let Your Yoga Dance Weekly Classic (since 2007)75+ minutes of integrating music & movementthrough the chakras to wind down your day… Tuesday Evenings, 7:00 pm to 8:15 pm, between June 23 & August 11 (as scheduled.) $55 for 5 classes (save $20) or $15 drop-in (ask about pre-pay discount.)

Let Your Yoga Dance Immersion (1st annual!) ~Burst into summer with a week-long morning LYYD practice 75+ minutes of invigorating music & movementthrough the chakras to launch each day! Monday, July 13th ~ Friday, July 17th 7:00 am to 8:15 am $55 for the week (save $20) or $15 drop-in (ask about pre-pay discount.)

Women’s Blue Moon RetreatWriting, ritual…

When you have a brand new baby
and your mom dies during your first-born’s first-week of kindergarten
you never forget the steady presence of
Ellen
and gratitude swells  your heart forever.

And when that same kindergartener moves to first grade,
you thank HIS lucky stars, it’s
Judy
because no matter how distracted he is
she will find a way to love him.

And when the classrooms change and
Jodi
becomes his teacher for the 4th year in a row
it’s no matter-
for with her, his thirst for learning is unquenchable.

And though, like most parents, you fear the demands of
David
you watch your son take charge
of himself and his work
with a glad heart
–and yours tugs when it’s time for him to leave this room;
though he, surprisingly, is
ready…

Ready and eager to move closer to the doors
that lead out of Marlboro Elementary School…