Last week, I had the unadulterated pleasure of seeing (and hearing!) the Count Basie Orchestra at Birdland in Manhattan. I’ve been the Trustee of Count Basie’s estate since 2012, and I always go to hear them when they’re in town. It’s such a delight! Big band music was heard all over the airwaves in the 1930s and 1940s – it defined the Swing Era. Its band leaders, including Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller, and Tommy Dorsey, were … read more »

This week, I was honored to participate in a training about mediating Surrogates’ Court disputes taught by Joan Pangilinan-Taylor and Judith Nolfo for the New York State Office of Court Administration. The stated issues can be fairly simple – e.g., disagreements about how things will be divided or who will be the executor of a loved one’s estate. But there are many layers to the disputes, particularly because family relationships are so long and can be so complicated. We talked … read more »

I had the opportunity to attend a town hall meeting with NYS Lt. Governor Antonio Delgado this week, which was so inspiring. It was such a breath of fresh air to hear someone who is in a position of power be CARING about the least of us, be caring about families and kids, and all of us. And he wasn’t just talking about fighting AGAINST, he was talking about what to fight FOR. He has not announced what he is … read more »

This week, I came across an interview with one of my sheroes, Ayana Elizabeth Johnson, on the podcast, How To Be A Better Human. Here is a transcript of the interview. Dr. Johnson is a marine biologist, climate activist, and teacher. She is fearless about facing climate change as it is, and she has an infectious, buoyant spirit and an amazing sense of wonder about the natural world. She’s anything but doomy and gloomy. And she breaks the science down … read more »

I’m at the annual conference of the NYS Council on Divorce Mediation this week, so I’ll keep it short today. I’ll also be celebrating my birthday in a few days, and I plan on having a shamelessly joyful day. Here’s what Heather Cox Richardson says about joy as a form of resistance. So, here’s to a great and joyful weekend doing what you love with the people you love!

A few days after my first husband died of a heart attack in June 2001, I noticed a little dandelion growing up between the cracks in the concrete steps behind our building. My world had just crashed, and I was flattened out, yet here was this little plant going about its business, striving toward the sun. “How could a simple dandelion be allowed to be alive,” I asked myself, “when it isn’t here?” It just didn’t make any sense to … read more »

My parents took me down to Washington DC for large demonstrations to protest the Vietnam War when I was a kid. I loved seeing a sea of people in all directions on the Mall and the feeling of camaraderie among strangers. I loved the slogans on the buttons and the signs (e.g. “If you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” “War is not healthy for children and other living things”). I loved that we were all … read more »

I attended Harvard Divinity School to study world religions in my twenties. I learned that every religion – spanning the world and going back for thousands of years – holds up compassion as a virtue. Judaism teaches the concept of tikkun olam – that we must repair the world through service to others. Christians have the Golden Rule, which says, “Do unto others as you would have others do unto you.” Compassion toward other people and beings is a core … read more »