Our Memories Fill Us:
Retirement from a Life Helping Kids

On Highway 80—a straight line from New York to Chicago—the car kept pace with my racing mind and heart. Saturday, July 28, 2012, would be a day different from all other days. Sooner or later, the “empty nest” experience would happen, but not on this day. This was separation day. I was leaving my work with the kids at Covenant House New York, and I was in complete denial . . .

Long-Distance Relationships:
Are They Really So Terrible?

I am a traditional person who leads a conventional life. Dana, my 23-year-old daughter, could say the same. She’s our only child, and we were fortunate that she went to college only an hour away, close enough to come home for all holidays—large and small. Her closeness also made it easy enough to meet for dinner when she was available. After graduation, we were thrilled when she found a great job and chose to move back to our house in the Philadelphia suburbs to save money for law school. Dana had an idyllic, somewhat old-fashioned, childhood: close friends, some of whom go as far back as preschool or elementary school; beloved family dog; stay-at-home mom who bakes chocolate chip cookies; and adoring dad with whom she shares a love of hiking. One thing about our life, however, is not so conventional: My daughter’s boyfriend lives in another country . . .

The Thistle Midwinters East Regatta:
Early Spring Sailing Nirvana

They say that for some people “When we goin’ ta Florida?” is their favorite whine. It’s been mine for years. I stare at the gray walls and overcast skies all winter, just trying to keep warm and make it until spring. (That’s not entirely true; my husband, Gary, and I do make the best of cold weather, but it’s certainly not the same as being someplace truly warm.) Well, this past winter, we finally did something about it, and, of course, it involved sailing. (As you probably know, Gary and I are both avid sailors.) We made a somewhat last-minute decision to sign up for the Thistle Midwinters East Regatta, held March 1–8 in St. Petersburg, FL. And, what a great idea that turned out to be . . .

On Becoming a Grandparent:
A Bit of News that Changes Your Life

Amie, our older daughter, was completing online coursework for her MBA and decided to walk at the commencement. She invited us to join her and (husband) Todd in Chapel Hill, NC, to help them celebrate. As my husband Gary and I traveled south that Friday afternoon, fighting traffic between Washington, DC, and Richmond, VA, our only thought was, “Are we going to make it to the reception?” Little did we know what the evening had in store for us . . .

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Empty Nest: A Magazine for Mature Families

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