A bill to fully recognize same-sex marriage in the State of New Jersey was once again introduced. Many legislators who voted against a like bill in 2010 have said that they would turn their votes about and vote in favor of passage this time around. We have a governor who has stated he will not sign such a bill should it come to his desk. And the beat goes on… Of the people I speak to now, just as in 2010, those who are in favor of passage of this bill are vehemently so and those opposed likewise. Can’t say that I have run into anyone who has no opinion at all. For those in opposition I will …

Just before New Year’s Eve I was standing outside the U.S. Post Office right next door to Stroker’s Deli – for those of you who do not live in Shrewsbury, New Jersey, please know that this exact spot is where one can be assured of meeting friends and neighbors from this close knit community at any hour of the day. Sundays are a bit slower but you do get a different crowd. You know, the gang that commutes to the city for work Monday through Friday. I had come out of the post office and run right into a friend of many years who immediately said (no ‘hi, how are you?’), “So what’s up with that …

So, here’s hoping it was a reasonably good year for most of you. Looking back, things always take on a less stressful aura, like it wasn’t that bad, was it? Or maybe it was. Twenty-four hours from now it’s 2012 – a new slate, a new beginning – ‘God Willing’, as my Dad would say, ‘things will be better all around’.  Yet, as I made my way around Shrewsbury today (with a side trip into Red Bank), I ran into so many people that have filled my life to overflowing in 2011 that I would be hard pressed to ask for better in 2012. Always there is Monica at Stroker’s along with the guys (Artie, Glen and…

Some years ago now we started a custom in our family where at our Christmas table we set a place for Jesus, napkin holder and all. On Christmas Day we go about our celebration and sometimes even forget about the place set for Jesus. For all the years that we have followed this ritual ‘Jesus’ has always shown up, sometimes in the guise of a neighbor who had moved away and stopped by on a visit to their old stomping grounds; often friends of our children who had moved away after college and return only at the holidays sit in the reserved seat; very often we have had dear friends or relatives …

Red Bank is considered a city, as is Asbury Park and Long Branch. Yet, when those of us who live in this area hear a friend say, “I’m going to the city tomorrow”, there is only one place that comes to mind and that is ‘The City’ – New York City. I have a friend who lives in Little Silver who gets really cranky with me when I remind her how fortunate we are to live where we do with the horse farms to the west; the beach just a snap away; AND New York City just a 50 minute ride on the bus. And, I think most of us take advantage of our proximity to ‘The Greatest City in the World’. The better …

  It is that wonderful time of the year once again, that time when we start to be grateful, grateful for all that we have no matter how meager it may appear to some. And of course there is the old adage: ‘If you have your health, you have everything.’ I tried that line on a homeless person once. Can’t share her reply with you here but it was a substantial response, nothing spared in the translation. Yet, it is true. Think of the people of renown and wealth who have left this life just in the last month – Jobs and Lauder, for two. So be thankful for your life. Be thankful that those you love …

Let’s just set the scene here – I walk into a room (any room, anywhere, anytime); I see a man in the act of molesting a child; I immediately – a)    Run to the office of the nearest authority figure and tell him/her what I have seen. b)   Find a phone and call the police. c)    Race like a mad person into the room screaming; kick the S.O.B. anywhere I can reach; grab the kid and run like hell – then call the police.  I am small of stature and long gone from being a spring chicken but I would, in this circumstance, fight like a banshee or die trying. I know I would, and I’d like to believe …

Probably the subject that I was least astute at in school was geography.  Don’t know why as by the time I was 10 years old I’d already been all around the U.S.A. and lived on two other continents. Maybe I just didn’t have an interest. I did a bit better in high school when discussion of foreign places came up. Then by the time I finished my schooling and became a ‘working member of society’ the Vietnam War was in full swing and we all learned the names and locations of places like Laos; Saigon; the Macon Delta; Cambodia; etc. I’ve traveled over the years to many places outside of our country…

Back in the ‘olden days’ as my grandchildren would say, there was an expression: ‘pretty is as pretty does’. When I would concern myself with superficial things my Mother would repeat this phrase to me indicating that my actions would speak much louder than any fancy outfit or pretentious entrance. I was probably in nursing school before this truly rang a bell with me but better late than never. Once I ‘got it’ I started to see the truth of the expression all around me. I saw how it could be applied to different circumstances especially when stated as - happy is as happy does. In the hospital…

Off in the distance I can hear my Mother saying, in a bit of an agitated voice: “Enough already, you’re beating a dead horse. CUT! Give it a rest.” I can’t help myself. It’s been more than a week now and I still feel bad, sad when I think of it. It’s getting better as all difficult things do but there is still a – ‘ping’, you know what I mean? A little ping that makes me feel so sad. I wasn’t planning on going to the Final Retreat Ceremony at Fort Monmouth. The better half was going to go with people directly from work. The day before the ceremony Don Burden emailed me and asked if I wanted …

The proclamation read:                                                    US ARMY GARRISON Fort Monmouth, New Jersey   THE FLAG of the UNITED STATES OF AMERICA This is to certify that on 15 September 2011 The Accompanying Flag was flown over Fort Monmouth, New Jersey And Presented to the Citizens of the Borough of Shrewsbury  In Honor of the Closing of Fort Monmouth, New Jersey Signed GEORGEE.FITZMAIER , Garrison Manager                              September 15, 2011 At Monday evening’s Borough Council meeting Mayor Donald Burden proudly read aloud the above proclamation as he displayed the …

It’s been missing for a long time now; maybe we should put a picture on a milk carton. Thing is, whose picture would we use to exemplify ‘integrity’? I’m trying to think of a leader – nope, not one current politician could fill the bill. Rock stars, actors, celebrities in general. Nah. Certainly not any sports figure in recent memory.  Consider now that we’re lookin’ for someone who is genuine – someone who stands up for what they believe when the goin’ gets tough, not just giving lip service to the cause. Someone who shows up when they say they will. Some who takes the blame when their plans…

It’s been a long while now since it was announced that Fort Monmouth would be closed. Funny how we hear something; we see the something beginning to happen; we’re witness on almost a daily basis to the dismantling; and yet, although we can intellectually accept what is happening, in the deep recess of our mind, and certainly our hearts, we keep thinkin’…’Naw, this just isn’t going to really happen’. So now it’s happened - they turn out the lights today. To say that the Fort has been a pivotal part of my life and my family’s would be a gross understatement. I was first introduced to the Fort …

Sunday morning, September 11, 2011 – slept in a bit, it was after 8 a.m. when I walked into the kitchen promising those already at the table that the coffee would be up in a flash. There was minimal conversation at the table as they were watching the calling of the names at the memorial in New York City. Glancing over as I made the coffee I saw Laura and George Bush on the screen, the cameras were doing close-ups of people and Laura Bush was very teary as the family members were reading the names, especially as they read the name of their own loved one who had perished, or as many of them …

I’ll have to say that when I wrote the column that appeared here on Monday, August 22nd (Coming Out to God) I was hoping that what I had to say might ring a bell with some, help a few and, generally, enlighten many who hadn’t ever given the subject much thought. I was not prepared for the overwhelming response that I received, and continue to receive. Currently the number of responses is well over 100 – some very long comments; some quick and to the point; many supportive, some not so much; all referring to God in some way, shape or form. So, this dialogue is good. I heard from men and women…

Reading Steve Rogers’ piece on August 27 about Rockit creator and instructor Bruce Gallipani's rock apostles and how they would be paying homage to the music of Woodstock, reminded me of a column I had written almost exactly 2 years ago for an upstate newspaper. My inspiration for the column came about as we were driving up to our home on Skaneateles Lake for the weekend of the 15th of August 2009  - the 40th anniversary of ‘Woodstock’ the infamous concert held in Bethel, New York. I hadn’t thought about the fact that 2009 marked a significant anniversary of this long ago concert. Much like …

So, what a night, huh?  And here we are to tell the tale. Now that it’s over we can all hoot, ‘Ah, it wasn’t so bad – I remember back in yadda, yadda – now that was a hurricane.’ I’m old enough to remember the ‘good old days’ when you would go to bed at night, hunker down under the covers warm and secure and pop right off to sleep, safe in the knowledge that all was right with the world. Then – sometime in the middle of the night – BAM, a horrendous clap of thunder; winds tossing things all about in the yard; trees falling across the road; rain being whipped against the house; water backing …

Man or woman, young, old or somewhere in between, we all have STUFF. My Dad used to say that we all have way too much STUFF; we should get rid of our old STUFF and make way for new and current STUFF. He really had us going and we did do a minimal amount of cleaning out. Then he died and we went into his office to clear things out and – you never saw so much damn STUFF in all your life.  My Dad was the ‘King of Stuff’. I guess the deal is that when it’s your STUFF – it’s really that kinda Stuff, you know what I mean, the Stuff you can’t part with? So here’s the deal: we have a basement full of…

About thirteen years ago now, a friend, a devout Catholic, laid it on the line for me. Over breakfast at a local diner she said, “If you can’t play by the rules of the Catholic Church then get out of the club.” A simple statement – a life changing declaration for me. She was right – I had lamented for years the fact that, as a gay woman, was I truly a member in good standing of this church? I was a Eucharistic minister, a member of the Stephen Ministry, a participant in various parish activities and a financial donor to all that the congregation supported. Yet, in my heart I knew that if I …

I sat on Monday evening last and listened as a Shrewsbury resident made a statement and also questioned the Shrewsbury Mayor and Council about a measure approved in June that will allow bow hunting on private property this upcoming fall hunting season. The resident had been unable to attend the June meeting of the council and subsequent meetings until the meeting on Monday. She said that she realized the approval of the measure was a done deal; she just wanted to state her concerns once again. This particular resident had been very vocal over the years that this subject has been discussed …