Sometimes I Miss Being ‘Mommy’

October 9, 2017

It’s the memory of those times of cuddling with my young girls while reading them Madeline or Harold and the Purple Crayon; recollections of shopping for new school supplies and picking out the perfect first-day-of-school outfit; seeing those perfect, innocent sleeping faces and waking up to their calls for ‘Mommy’; hurting when they were hurt […]

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I Groan, Roll My Eyes, Annoyed

August 31, 2016
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They get in our way Repeat themselves and ask us to repeat what we just told them Drive too slow Smell like rancid perfume and musty attics Their skin has stuff growing out of it and is hard to look at They can’t see well Talk to loud, talk too soft They endlessly try our […]

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My Mothers World. My Emancipation.

May 6, 2016
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My mother, wearing a white collared blue wasted dress with a soft petticoat, nylons and white pumps, waved me out the door to join the other neighbor kids walking to school. She had risen before the rest of the family, prepared a well balanced breakfast for us. Poached eggs in milk over buttered white toast, bacon, […]

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Make Failure Your Friend

July 31, 2015
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Why is it for many of us, no matter how many achievements and successes we enjoy in our lives, and in spite of all the praise and accolades received, we will sometimes pick up a banner marked with the words FAILURE, drape it across our chest and go about donning the sour smiles of lost […]

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The Vet

October 2, 2014
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I couldn’t help but notice him as I’m sitting in the waiting room of the VA while my husband receives radiation treatment for cancer. He’s an older veteran sitting crumpled like an unmade bed in his wheelchair. He stares at the floor and his face is marked with deep creases and a scraggly beard. He […]

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A Profile of Depression

August 20, 2014

In light of the growing awareness and after the death of Robin Williams, regarding the subject of depression, There is something I would like to share. While many suffer on a spectrum of depression, few experience the kind that makes it impossible to live. I have experienced the latter. It was Postpartum depression and fortunately […]

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Nuggets of Wisdom

April 23, 2013

Wisdom is defined as, “Accumulated knowledge of life or in a particular sphere of activity that has been gained through experience”. Well let’s see, here are just a few mid-life tidbits of wisdom I have accumulated through my life’s experiences thus far: When everyone appears to be younger than you it’s because they are. It’s […]

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On Saying Goodbye

May 28, 2012

When my father died this year a friend said, “Sadly we are at that age of becoming orphans.” We, Baby Boomer’s are laying our parents to rest and many of us are learning to confront and finish our ‘business’ with them before they pass. If it is possible, letting go of resentments, offering forgiveness even […]

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Welcome to i.jan!

May 14, 2012

Taking a peek at what people are thinking and what they do. Touching on perspectives, perceptions and sometimes visiting within a few sentences, the world of your social media friends. Such is the world of Social Networking. i.jan is the world as i see it. My experiences, past and present; lessons i’ve learned along with […]

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From Dirges to Dancing

January 9, 2012

I was thirteen when my piano teacher decided I was to master the pipe organ and become a church organist. I viewed the career path laid out before me and shuddered, as church organists at that time appeared to have poor fashion sense and bad hair. I am thankful to this day my mother gave me […]

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