I love books!

Thinking back to my childhood, I remember reading Nancy Drew, Trixie Belden, Encyclopedia Brown and Anne of Green Gables, just to name a few.

Growing up, our attic was my resource for new books, since I was the youngest of six and had shelves of titles from which to choose.

When I got older, I moved on to Borders, Barnes and Noble and Atlantic Book Stores.

And don’t even start me on the library. I could (and do) spend hours browsing the shelves of our local library, picking up books on everything from vegetarian cooking to thrift shop finds.

(Truth be told, I’d love to open a bookstore some day, just as soon as I win the lottery and get three children through college! I even have a name for it, but that’s a secret for now!)

Last year, I looked around our home and realized we had way too much stuff; stuff such as three shelves of games (that no one in my house likes to play), two tubs of crayons (why do I buy new boxes each school year?), and three bookcases of books (oops, my bad).

I knew we needed to clean out. Luckily, I found a local children’s charity that accepted our games, puzzles, craft supplies and children’s books, but I had a harder time giving away my books. In the past, when I’ve absolutely, positively had to get rid of some of my books, I’ve donated them to our local library for their annual book sale. (I’ve also dropped them off to a used bookstore in return for credit and gotten more books. I know. I have a problem!)

But this time, I came up with another idea. A brilliant idea, if I do say so myself! I decided to start my own book exchange!

And thus, the Book Koop was born. (You don’t even want to know how excited I was when I came up with that name!)

I purchased a plastic container, filled it with the books I wanted to share, put it on my covered front porch, and sent out the following email to family and friends:

“I have a collection of books just sitting on my shelves collecting dust. I hate to see books sit and would rather share them with others. With that thought in mind, I decided to start a book exchange - The Book Koop…
I have filled it with books that I would like to share with all of you. Please feel free to take a book if you are in need or if any look interesting…
If you'd like to leave a book (or two), please do. However there is no need to leave a book if you take one. I will try and check the bin and update the list of books available, so you don't waste a trip if nothing looks interesting…
I don't need the book back (and would suggest you only "share" books that you don't want back as well) so feel free to keep the book unless you want to pass it on to others when you are finished with it."

I didn’t get much feedback at first, and thought briefly of closing down, but when I went out to check The Koop after a month, I noticed quite a few of my books gone, and some new additions to the container. Success!

I recently got an influx of books from one neighbor and am thinking of expanding!

And, interestingly enough, I have had quite a few workmen come and ask about it, since it’s sitting next to my front door.

Having it outside makes it easy for everyone. Friends can come up anytime and pick up or drop off a book, and I can share my love of books with others without cluttering up my house. (Although I have a hard time saying books are clutter!)

I still hit the bookstores, although there are fewer and fewer to pick from these days, and I can’t resist the library, but I’ve also picked up quite a few new books from The Book Koop that I may have never looked twice at when shopping in a book store by myself.

So, while it’s not quite the bookstore I’ve dreamed of opening, The Book Koop is a pretty good start.

I love books!

Summer Reading

One of my favorite things to do in the summer is catch up on my reading. (Ok, true confessions: I really don't have to "catch up" on my reading, as I do plenty of reading throughout the year. However, for whatever reason, I don't feel as guilty spending an afternoon reading during the summer as I do in the winter months.)

Anyway, I've spent the past few weeks at the beach, surrounded by sand, family, friends and some great books.

Here is what I've added to my "Read" list on Goodreads and, since I dislike long reviews, my very brief opinion of each book.

*The Orphan Train - Christine Baker Kline - A fascinating lesson on this sad era in US History; quick and interesting read.
*Tattoos on the Heart -Gregory Boyle - A must read about a priest, LA gangs, and Homeboy Industries; need I say more?!
The Rescue ~ Nicholas Sparks - A good beach read; typical Nicholas Sparks.
All the Summer Girls - Meg Donahue - Another good beach read, especially since it takes place in Avalon, NJ.
The Silver Star - Jeannette Walls - Walls tugs at your heart strings again with fiction this time when recounting two sisters searching for family.
*Beautiful Day - Elin Hilderbrand - Family drama surrounding a wedding on Nantucket; Hilderbrand at her best.
Sisterland - Curtis Sittenfeld - I just couldn't connect with the characters in this book; good but not great.
The Execution of Noa P. Singleton - Elizabeth L. Silver - A bit long and drawn out, but worth your time.

Warning: Many times I may like/dislike a book depending on my mood and not necessarily on the book. And, let's be honest, everyone has different opinions of what they feel makes a good story.

For that reason, I'll simply tell you that, while I enjoyed all of the above books, the ones with the asterisks were my favorite and ones I gave either four or five stars.

Next on my to-read list:

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls - Anton Disclafani
The Shadow Tracer - Meg Gardiner

I'm always in search of new authors/books, so suggestions are welcome! What are you reading this summer?

Put a fork in me. I'm done!

Put a fork in me, I’m done!

I’ve reached my limit. I’ve had it. I have left the building.

(Can I think of any more clichés?)

I’m at the end of my rope. I don’t feel like doing this anymore! (I guess I can!)

It’s June and I have officially checked out! (Okay, really… that’s the end of them!)

Which would be fine if THERE WASN’T ONE MORE WEEK OF SCHOOL LEFT!

And, to make matters worse, it is possibly the most stressful week of the entire academic year. Yes, that’s right – FINALS!



I know this is nothing new. I remember taking finals when I was in high school, listening to the those lucky youngsters who were all but finished school (as if watching movies and cleaning desks was on the academic calendar) running outside my bedroom window, playing and getting ice cream from the ice cream man, while I sat sweating in my room, trying desperately to memorize a semester’s worth of work in one night!

Oh, there was a brief respite in my academic career. I graduated high school and college, worked a “real job,” got married and had my babies. June was looking good again. The days were longer and warmer, and the promise of summer made the month one of my favorites.

And then those babies grew up. And started school. And started taking tests and exams. And I suddenly feel like that high school student again, sweating through my days and nights re-learning how to conjugate Spanish verbs and trying to remember the dates of the Mexican-American War. (It was 1846-1848, in case you can’t remember either.)

Yes, I know. I am not the one in school, taking those finals. But, if you’ve ever lived in the home of two children (girls, no less) studying for final exams, you know the whole family suffers.

Tears, tantrums and tirades fill the house, and that’s just from me.

It’s exhausting, and I’m not even taking the tests.

Do we really need to test these kids on things they learned in January, when they can’t even remember to make their beds in the morning?

One more week – that has become my mantra every morning when I wake up the girls.

One more week – and then homework and test and schedules will be a thing of the past (at least for a few months!)

One more week – I can make it, can’t I?

Mom Said

My mother had a saying.

Well, she had many sayings: “pick up your feet” when someone was trying to brown-nose her; “break every bone in your body”, usually directed at my brother or the dog when they were acting up (ironically she never laid a hand on any of us but that threat was good enough to stop any goings on), and “this room is a pigsty” – self-explanatory and usually directed at the bedroom of my sisters and I. But one of her favorite sayings (and I’m sure the one she would most like to be remembered by) was “Kindness is your name.”

Sometimes, she even sang it- “Kindness is your name.”

This was always said when one of us (she had six children – not including the dog or my Dad) was gossiping about someone. Of course, at the time, we never appreciated hearing that little ditty. We would be ranting about a teacher who did us wrong, or a friend who mistreated us, and my mother would listen patiently and usually end our tirade with those four little words, “Kindness is your name.”

Sometimes, she wouldn’t even be involved in the conversation. I would be deep in a discussion with a friend about a girl in school who had the nerve to commit some atrocity against me, and she would float by, carrying a load of laundry, and simply sing her little admonishment, “Kindness is you name, Kathleen.”

It got to the point, since I was the youngest, that she didn’t even have to say – or sing- the words, she simply hummed the tune, and I would know what she was saying.

I could never understand why she couldn’t see my point. Why couldn’t Mom agree how awful this person was to me? (Keep in mind that, at 13, “awful” is a relative term. Grievances could range from looking at me wrong, to buying the same shirt as I had on, to not calling me when they said they would. You know – terrible, earth-shattering crimes in the teenage world.)

My mother rarely talked negatively about anyone, and certainly not in front of her children. In fact, the big joke in our family, to this day, is to shush anyone who is speaking poorly about someone else because “they could be listening in the windows.” (Never mind that the person may not even live in the same state. According to my mother, you never know! Wise words!)

Sadly, my mom passed away much too young and too soon for us. And, while we miss her every day, her spirit lives on. When I wrote to my family and asked them about their favorite “Mom sayings” I opened a floodgate of memories.

We remembered the good (“Things always look worse at night” – a saying I tell my children, and remind myself of often); the bad (“I could wring your neck)” and the funny ("Are you smoking Dutch cleanser?" – which I still don’t understand but was used when we asked to do something that was totally unreasonable.)

My son was just a toddler when my mother died, and my girls never met their grandmother, and yet, in many ways, they do know her. They know she loved her family (Her last words to us, “Stick together and take care of your father”), she loved the beach (“Salt air cures everything”) and she believed in, and expected, goodness from her family. (“Kindness is your name.”)

My mom’s words continue to resonate with me, conjuring up memories and life-lessons that she taught me through my early years. And while she is no longer with us, her words will be passed on and will continue to teach her grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, for years to come.

And that is a pretty good legacy for anyone to leave!

Happy Mother's Day Mom! We miss you always!

Lent is coming. Yes, it’s that time of year.

For those who aren’t familiar with Lent, it is the forty days leading up to Easter in which we concentrate on how we can become closer to God; how we can become more mindful of God and our relationship with Him, with a focus on prayer, fasting and almsgiving.

Unfortunately, for many, Lent simply means denial. What is the most asked question this week? “What are you giving up for Lent?”

Over the years, I’ve given up chocolate, diet coke, cursing, yelling, beer, and gossiping. (Wow, reading all these vices in print makes me look like a bit of a derelict!)

My children always use the same line – “I’m giving up school.” Or “I’m giving up homework.” So predictable!

My husband has joined us at times, giving up snacks or desserts. (He uses this time as a way to get back into shape before spring. Who am I to judge?) Not being Catholic, he doesn’t abstain from meat on Fridays, which has led to a few uncomfortable meals during Lent, with four pairs of eyes glaring at him as he eats his cheeseburger!

When discussing Lent with my children, I often stress that it isn’t always about giving up something. It can be about starting something positive. I tell them to think about turning a negative (no snacks) into a positive (3 pieces of fruit a day).

I like that idea. Rather than feel like we are depriving ourselves of something, why not feel like we are rewarding ourselves with a better diet or better behavior? Rather than focusing on what we are doing wrong, let’s focus on what we can do better to become a better person and closer to God.

Last week, I was sent a link to two great sites that discuss some different ideas to toss around with your family this Lenten Season. Both focus on making Lent a joyful time of devotion and anticipation rather than deprivation and dread.

Busted Halo, (www.bustedhalo.com) an online magazine for spiritual seekers, has posted a calendar on their site entitled Fast, Pray, Give. It offers daily prayers and practical ideas for fasting and almsgiving.

It encourages readers to keep at it, even if there are days that we forget or fail in our devotion. “The idea isn’t to be perfect but to continue on our path, so if you slip up one day, don’t give up; simply begin again the next day,” say the editors.

The other site that I found was LentMadness (www.LentMadness.org). Similar to March Madness and the basketball brackets, LentMadness can be described as a showdown of Saints. Started by two Episcopalian priests who wanted to lighten up the whole mood of Lent and get people a little more excited about God, this site posts two saints and allows viewers to vote for their favorite. The “Field” starts with 32 and, in keeping with the March Madness theme, narrows down to the Saintly Sixteen, the Elate Eight, the Faithful Four and finally the winner, who receives the Golden Halo.

According to their website, they are hoping LentMadness will “allow people to get to know some amazing people who have come before us in the faith and remind one another that there’s no reason for a dreary Lenten discipline.”

Last year, about 50.000 people visited the site!

Why not change things up a bit this Lenten season? Check out some of the sites mentioned, or think up some positive changes you can make in your life. Rather than ask, “What are you giving up this Lent?” let’s ask each other “What are you doing to change for the better this Lent?”

(And let me know what your Lenten resolutions are. I’d love to hear about them.)

As for me, I’m planning on checking in with the “Fast Pray Give” calendar daily. I like the idea of mixing it up each day.

I am also planning on giving up Social Media for Holy Week. This could be a tough one, as I am a bit addicted to Facebook. Stay tuned!

This I know to be true... of myself

I read somewhere (don’t ask me where; I read so much I can’t remember sources anymore. This is normal, right?)

Anyway, I recently read an article in which the author asked, “What do you know about yourself?”

I’m sure it was a question posed to someone famous, or at least someone whose biggest accomplishment of the day was NOT completing 5 loads of laundry.

Back to topic: I started thinking about what I’ve learned about myself over the past 40-something years, and came up with the following list, in no particular order:

1. I love being home.
2. I am comfortable being by myself.
3. I love the quiet.
4. I work better by myself or in smaller groups.
5. I don’t handle deadlines well.
6. I need my surroundings to be in order. (For me, a chaotic environment leads to a chaotic mind.)
7. My house is neat, not necessarily clean – and that’s okay with me.
8. I can say “No” and understand it is an acceptable and complete sentence.
9. A little guilt is good for me.
10. I can’t please everyone.
11. Not everyone is going to like me, and that’s okay. (Still working on this – I know this in my head, but my heart often has a hard time accepting it.)
12. I can’t do everything, and I won’t feel guilty about that.
13. When people say to me, “You do such a good job, I just had to ask if you would…” they really mean, “You’re a sucker and never say no to anyone, so would you please organize…” In this case, it is perfectly okay to say “No.” (See #8.)
14. I don’t do drama and I don’t play games. If you want something from me, ask.
15. I don’t like people who aren’t nice.
16. I can’t worry about what others think of me.
17. I can’t control everything. (I can’t, right?)
18. Just because I can, doesn’t mean I should.
19. I am not perfect, and never will be. (But unfortunately, I am still trying.)
20. I have to put myself first sometimes, in order to better serve others. And that’s okay!
21. I like myself… I really do!

It’s an incomplete list, as I’m sure there are other things I know of myself, but it’s a start.

What do you know about yourself?

Century-Old Tradition Continues

Long before Martin Luther King gave his “I have a dream speech” and the idea of a “Day of Service” became popular, eight women in Philadelphia had an idea. In October, 1914, surrounded by a depressed economy, high unemployment, and a war erupting in Europe, these women decided they needed to help alleviate the suffering here and abroad.

Thus began The Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania, an organization that, while tweaked throughout its history, has lasted close to 100 years.

The Emergency Aid of Pennsylvania (EA) began in a tiny house on Walnut Street in Philadelphia. Those eight women enlisted the help of family and friends to raise money, clothes and supplies and ship them overseas, to European countries in need.

Then, when the United Stated entered the War, they set up a Home Relief Division, a pre-cursor to the Red Cross, to help with emergencies closer to home, including outbreaks of flu and polio.

They sold over $68 million in war bonds.

EA established the first girls’ trade school in Philadelphia to teach unemployed women the skills they needed to obtain jobs.

And they continued their work overseas, opening service clubs for local servicemen and serving in the war zone in any way they were able.

During World Ward II, The Emergency Aid of PA had over 3,000 members, with women serving as hospital volunteers, raising funds for programs in the area, and researching projects they felt needed their attention and help. It became one of the largest women’s organizations in the Philadelphia area.

Throughout the years, EA has met each crisis that arose with speed and efficiency. Their policy was to render service until another agency was able to take over.

By the early 1980s, many of the programs started by EA had been taken over by professional organizations, as Philadelphia had more than doubled in size.

With decreasing membership, and fewer volunteers, EA decided to become a foundation in 1984. However, its members were determined to keep the spirit and tradition of its past alive.

With this in mind, The Emergency Aid Foundation of Pennsylvania was formed, with a mission to “improve the lives of women and children by providing grants to effective non-profit organizations and to encourage education, leadership and community service in young women through mentoring and by awarding scholarships.”

The Foundation has awarded over $1.7 million in grants since it was set up in 1984, with emphasis on those organizations that aid women and children.

It continues to encourage young girls with its Founders Award, which is given each year to approximately 20 9th grade girls in high schools in Southeastern Pennsylvania who have been nominated by their principals or school counselors and display high levels of service and leadership in their school and community.

The girls spend the next three years participating in seminars sponsored by EA on such relevant topics as self-esteem and time management, as well as continuing their service hours with trips to local Senior Centers and the Ronald McDonald House in Philadelphia.

Since its inception, over 500 girls have received this award and benefitted from the generosity, knowledge and tradition of this century-old organization.

EA has also awarded over $425,000 in scholarship over the years to 140 Founder Award recipients to help pay for college.

A Mentoring Program was set up in which scholarship winners are paired with an EA member to help guide and mentor them throughout their college years and beyond, forging friendships that will last a lifetime.

The Emergency Aid of PA tradition, started almost 100 years ago by those eight women, continues to aid those in need in the Philadelphia area, and beyond.

To find out more about this inspiring organization, please check out its website: www.eafoundation.org.