Author Archive

The Pope Up Close

With all the excitement of the new pope being chosen today, it’s easy to think about the wonderful visit that Pope Francis made to Philadelphia in 2015. Coinciding with the World Meeting of Families, he spent the weekend of September 26-27 crisscrossing the city: from the Saint Charles Borromeo Seminar in the suburbs to the […]


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Fair and Square

Writing in English is my passion, although there is an internal voice that wants to translate my words into Spanish, particularly when it’s a clever saying or expression. Take “Fair and Square,” for example. It could be the literal “Justo y Cuadrado” that makes no sense at all, or the adverbial “Justa y honradamente,” which […]


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Becoming Our Parents

There are commercials on TV for Progressive Insurance where Dr. Rick warns us about becoming like our parents. They are supposed to be humorous, but I find them frightening. I wouldn’t mind if I had my father’s intelligence and energy or my mother’s resourcefulness and some of her good looks. But I have the feeling […]


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Back and Forth

Dear Readers, I hope you have missed me as much as I have missed you. Or maybe, just a little bit. I seem to have come through my knee surgery with flying colors. Well, walking colors at least. I’m so thankful to family and friends who have stopped by to lend a hand and kept […]


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The Plot Thickens

Mostly, I have tried to lead a good life. I took an eight-week course on Mindfulness Meditation and I meditate regularly, if not constantly.  I did Yoga for years, until I fell and broke the talus in my left foot and the doctor said I couldn’t do weight-bearing exercises any longer—foreshadowing perhaps? But I kept […]


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From a Drop to a Deluge

I am sure you have read about the deadly flash floods that have devastated the Eastern side of the Iberian Peninsula during the last few weeks. The city of Valencia, where I was born, was spared, but the province was plummeted with a year’s worth of rain in a few hours. At least 220 people […]


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