It really does not make sense that he dropped out of school—sent off to Siberia and away from the press is more like it. What a strange Republican VP pick. After seeing this family, my college-aged daughter thanked me for having a small family so I could spend lots of time with her, encouraging her to make good life choices, showing her what good values were and living by them and gently pointing out that the way you speak can make you sound smart or really, really dumb. She also appreciated her religious upbringing which is beginning to add a mature spirituality to her life….makes us sound like conservatives but we are a very liberal family. Liberals do have family values also…

Patty E - I think your story is becoming more and more common. I have seen friends cash in their IRA’s to pay for their elderly parents medical and end of life expenses, or for their childrens’ college educations because they don’t want their children to begin life with $30,000 worth of debt. Saddest of all, are the stories of parents draining their accounts on medical bills for their young adult children who no longer have medical coverage. My husband was let go from his job after 24 years. He is also not old enough for social security. He was able to pick up contract work for a while but the economy has gotten so bad that the grants just aren’t out there so he has not had a job for over a year. Luckily, we’ve lived in our house for 25 years, drive old cars, have our money in CD’s. I had a friend ask me now that my daughter was in college if we were going to downsize—but we never “upsized”…..so we really don’t have many areas to make cut backs I have a brain tumor coupled with a chronic disease that keeps medical bills high and me in a constant state of worry over the cost of health insurance and healthcare. And yet, we are in great shape compared to so many. It makes me so angry that we have come to this point. The public has been outspoken against the unfair CEO’s compensations, the Enron type accounting, the lack of regulation, the dismal condition of our healthcare system. But it is quite obvious that if you don’t have hugh sums of money to hire lobbyists to buy influence, We the People have no serious voice. How can that be, when there are so many of us?

What about a father - son purity ritual of some sort. I’ve run into too many fathers that still have that old macho attitude about it being okay for their boys (wink, wink) but not so for their pious little girls. I always tell them to teach their sons to respect women in the same way they are supposedly taught to respect their sister and mom, and then we’ll do some talking about going out with my daughter!

Health. After living with a chronic illness for 20 years, I am thankful each day for being alive, for living long enough to see my daugher start college, and to have had the energy to have a somewhat normal life at times. As I age and it becomes more difficult to fight the bad days, I understand how a strong, healthy body and mind surpasses any need for beauty or riches. To have the luxury of even thinking of beauty or money, as opposed to how I will physically get through the day, seems like an amazing gift given to so few in the world when you really think about it globally.

This is such sad news. I am as devastated as if I’d lost a personal friend and I suppose it is because there are so few public figures I admire that I read his books and felt a real connection with him and his family. He was so real and so full of love and life. He did a tremendous amount in his 58 years on earth, but we still lost him way to soon.

I was in a panic the other day because we couldn’t find our ice pick….we figured my daughter had taken it camping, to a party, somewhere and lost it. Sounds silly but this was my mother’s ice pick, possibly my grandmothers. It has a nice sturdy wooden handle and it is one of those functional things that I have from my family and use rather than something hidden away in safety deposit box. When I asked my daughter about it, she teased me that we must be the only family that has an “ice pick heirloom”, and that was just a little creepy in her mind. Luckily, we did find the ice pick and it lies back in its correct drawer ready for use. But up until then, I didn’t know what such a common, old, everyday object meant to me. I grew up with that ice pick! And to think, someday I can leave it to my only daughter. Won’t she be thrilled. She says its like something from a slasher movie….

“Fun with Dick and Jane.” I remember being so excited about reading. There seemed to be so much in those books. Now when I go back and look at them they, of course, have very few words. But my imagination must have run wild over the pictures because I remember much more about Dick and Jane than words ever told. I’ve loved reading ever since. I think Cat’s Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut which I read in high school really opened by eyes to literature that could satirize issues of our times and I am still drawn to that sort of writing.

sl, Too often we fail to take the time to do what your boss did—explain the project, what it meant and follow up on how it was used. Such simple things, but it adds to your feeling of accomplishment and teamwork. It’s horrible when your hard work just falls into a black hole and you never hear about it again. She sounds like an excellent mentor.

oh yes— frying out in the sun when I was a teenager, starving myself as a young adult to lose weight, then too busy for exercise and eating well as a working adult. And now that I am older and wiser I realize that with just a little effort I could have felt and looked so much healthier and vibrant. Now I have decided to attempt to be satisfied with whatever results I get from good nutrition and exercise. Face lifts, tummy tucks, breast reductions, botox sound absolutely scary to me. I know how it is to want to look good though. It would be so wonderful to have even one day in my life when I don’t think about my body and my weight, or better yet, think positively of my body! May all of you have only positive days (I once believed that women’s liberation was going to give us pride and confidence in our bodies, instead I think maybe we got talked into trying to look perfect and the freedom to be slutty….just a thought)

What a beautiful description of Saint Joan. I must read more of Mark Twain’s version. Thank you

Arlene, Isn’t it wonderful to have had such an enjoyable time with our children? My neighbor, a grade school teacher, has always said I should have written a book —I wish I had taken better notes about what it was that we did that made it so much fun. Mostly is was just impromptu ideas like treasure hunts and picnics and acting out plays. Anything that did not involve TV, Barbie, or spending large sums of money! It would be fun to pass those ideas along to a new group of parents.

1. Greeting cards that people probably don’t even read and then don’t know what to do with—(do you throw a $5 card away or what is the appropriate time one is suppose to hang on to such a card?) 2. Craft supplies I never craft with, and 3. Gasoline

I love British Columbia, but it’s not a cheap place to go with the looney overshadowing the dollar these days. The Sunshine Coast above Vancouver and the Gulf Islands are the best places to spend the summer. Have a great time Mary.

I agree with Arlene. I would love to turn back the clock and spend an evening under the stars with my daughter as a child. We went sailboating every summer up in the San Juan Islands in Washington State and some nights were so clear and beautiful. One especially enchanting night we spent cuddled in sleeping bags on the deck watching a fantastic comet show, singing songs, telling stories, teasing Dad, just being a family. My daughter remembers her childhood as being magical, and I am so happy that we were able to have so many mystical nights under the stars. I wouldn’t trade those family times for any celebrity’s company (well, Iris, you had to mention Antonio Banderas dressed as Zorro—that is a little distracting)

I love visiting this site daily. Thanks for starting it up and congratulations to you all