So is it possible to find common ground? Can we agree that reducing the need for abortion would benefit everyone? Fewer unwanted pregnancies, fewer abortions, fewer risks to women, as well as healthy, deeply desired children born to women able to care for them.
For the final months of 2021, I read a wide assortment of books -- from non-fiction investigations to mystery thrillers to escapist fiction. Christmas brought some eagerly awaited books to start the new year, but the following wrap up the 55 books I read in 2021.
Another quarter of this crazy year is over. I managed to get in a fair amount of good reading, so enjoy my list if you're looking for a new read.
The decision was made. I had thought about it, picked a design that was meaningful to me. Then I waited. Waited to be sure. Waited for an artist reference. Waited for my friend to return. And when it happened, it happened fast. He asked “today?” and I said “okay.”
Reading the novel, The Female Persuasion by Meg Wolitzer really sent me down a path of thinking about women, work, mentors, and how we grow each other. Didn’t hurt that it flooded me with memories of my early feminism in the 70’s.
My second stint in the mountains feels different than I expected. While I miss the awe and wonder and the newness of my first trip, I’ve discovered a familiarity that is deeply comforting. Everything feels less intimidating, including myself. I am a year older, and so are the trees. I am a year wiser, the trees are as wise as they’ve always been.
Most weeks (and days) are a mix of emotions and energy, some good and some not so good. Just another week on the calendar. We tend to expect so much, but even the detours may look like yellow brick roads in the rearview mirror.
A full year into the pandemic found my book stack dwindling, just in time for new birthday and Mother’s Day books, plus a few bargains from the overstock shelves. What have you been reading?
Losing a friend, a contemporary, is not something I want to get used to, but as I get older I see more warning signs. My own health isn’t exactly ideal, and friends struggle with a variety of ailments. I certainly don’t dwell on it, but I want to embrace the lessons.
forgive me if my words have dried up at my lips;