Letters from Rona / Sort by date

A poem is the perfect busy woman's read. It slips into the day's unexpected quiet places like a cat into a lap. [more]

Why buy an "it bag" that won't work as my bag? Let fashionistas chase the trends of the moment; I'll stick to wearable talismans that will lift my spirits for years. [more]

Culled from my recent reading: wise thoughts from Norman Mailer, Mary Pipher and Sandra Oh. [more]

To truly appreciate Blazing Saddles, the classic spoof western by Mel Brooks, you have to watch it with a kid for whom the only thing funnier than a fart is a whole gleeful chorus of farts. [more]

"The Sleep Industrial Complex," a provocative cover story in the New York Times Magazine, won't tell you how to get the sleep of your dreams. But it does explain why you're so worried about those precious eight hours. I feel your pain. [more]

What I've learned about writing from June Callwood, Roger Daltrey and the sheer discombobulating thrill of being a beginner instead of the "veteran" I used to be. [more]

You often speak and write about overcoming depression. What made you decide to go public, when so many people are ashamed to admit that mental illness has touched their lives? [more]

The older I get, the younger I feel inside. And I'm in good company. My newest role model, 65-year-old soul diva Aretha Franklin, says she's planning to overcome fear of flying and study classical piano. [more]

When a friend fell gravely ill, I didn't know what to do or how to help. So I filled a note card with all the things I love about her. [more]

Your only child is a son, yet you write about the mother/daughter bond. Are you sorry that you never had a daughter? [more]

A cherished poem can bring friends together. For me, the ultimate pass-along poem is Jane Kenyon's wonderfully consoling "Happiness." [more]

My father, Max Maynard, never finished anything. So the the family legend went. When he joined A.A., determined to quit drinking in old age, he never quite pulled it off. But he made an honest effort, and that's what matters now. [more]