Tragedy, celebration, and joy, are parts of life that each one of us encounters, seeks to put into perspective, and must come to understand. No one escapes those elements of life. The vast majority of us prefer to have the experiences of joy and celebration. Reality must be faced. That
This week we will revisit naturalist and author Beatrix Potter and her magical creations. In 2014 I wrote an article about her, but a friend gave me a book recently entitled “Beatrix Potter’s Gardening Life,” and there is much more to tell about her enchanting life. Beatrix was born July
I recently picked up my latest prescription medication. It was ensconced in a tiny bottle with about three-and-a-half pounds of paper attached with all types of warnings about side effects. Some years back right here in The Voice, I noted that 30-second prescription medication ads on television, or scrolling across
The growing trend in The Voice is for important information to be on hold because other important information has found its way to the pages. Therefore, to offer a setting, we use this space for news notes and important items to be included. It is the best we can do
“Non, je ne regretted rien. No, I regret nothing.” —Edith Piaf The high drama of Edith Piaf’s life brought her 47 years on this earth to a place where her singing of chanson and torch ballads gave love, loss, and sorrow, a deep resonance. What a beginning! Edith Giovanna Gassion
This week’s issue of The Voice is filled as usual. Still, there was a great deal which could be included, however, due to space limitations, information will wait until next week, or, not be included. Part of the space this week has been devoted to the growing celebration of Martin
“Lavender’s Blue, dilly, dilly, Lavender’s green, When you are king, dilly, dilly, I shall be queen.” — An English lullaby January is the month when the heart begins to think of gardens, and swimming, and outdoor pleasures. We are weary of Winter and look forward to Springtime. Thoughts turn to
I have a confession to make: I nearly killed my eighth grade nun. To many of you readers who grew up attending a Catholic school, this probably doesn’t sound so bad because, just like me, you’d assumed they were trying to kill us. But this was not a preemptive strike
There are important notes, at least to many observers, within this page this week. Likely none is more important than the note from Carol Tidwell, president of the League of Women Voters (LWV) Aurora Area: “The forum originally scheduled (to be held Wednesday, Feb. 12 for State House District 83’s
“There is nothing cleverer than irreproachable conduct.” —Queen Maria Therese in 1682 Before the arrival of Christianity in France, a Gallo-Roman temple stood on the site of Notre-Dame. The building was replaced with an Early Christian basilica dedicated to Saint Stephen. It may have been constructed in the 4th Century
It’s déjà vu all over again, as baseball great, Yogi Berra, used to say. 2002: The George W. Bush administration requested Afghanistan to surrender Osama bin Laden so that he might stand trial for the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks against the United States. The Taliban-dominated government in Kabul responded
Politics is a fact of life. It has negative connotations, draws disdain from many who claim no interest, and can be rough and tumble. Politics is a fact of life. We can find some joy, however, above all, we should understand it is the grist which can advance our democracy
It is my intention again this year to focus on success stories of individuals who, by dent of their work ethic, commitment, and drive, transformed their earthly sojourn into meaningful and productive lives. I had never heard of Madam C.J. Walker prior to seeing a bookmark from the National Trust
America seems to have an abundance of angry individuals these days. I’m not one of them, except when my cable cuts out during The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. But, I’ve noticed infusions of anger when it comes to politics or driving. It would be nice if it stayed in
The haunting music of the street balladiers could be heard all along the boulevard du Temple. The high-arching trees, the chestnut trees, were Winter barren. It was January 1847, and each evening the gay boulevard was filled with Parisians waiting for the box offices to open. It was, of course,
From the vault – December 12, 2013 (revised): A response to Donna Crane’s column of December 19, 2019, Unplugging one day each week a salute for stress 24/6. Once upon a time, Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas were separate events. Now, however, they are connected to each other by an economic
The build up to the holidays is in the process of winding down. A reality check indicates the best aspect of all holidays is time spent with family and friends. Sharing time and activities exceed any material aspect of any holiday. Seeing the glow of children reacting to the bright
Even in the darkness of Winter, Old Man Moon reminds us that light will follow the darkness. When I hibernate, just like the bears, the bees, and box turtles, I read. It is quiet and warm and my mind can go many new places. The Top Ten this year will
For this week, I thought I’d table the piece I’d planned to write and cash in on the Christmas holiday, even though I’m a day late and a dollar short…the story of my life. With nothing better to do, I began thinking over Christmases past and which ones were memorable.
When I watched everything leading up to the impeachment, I grieved for our broken Nation, where we have taken sides to the extent that we can’t even hear one another any more. In lock step each Democrat spoke of Donald Trump’s actions being precisely what the Founding Fathers feared when
