With the insane heat of the summer only a memory and autumn leaves cascading down, October bliss brings lovely days and the World Series. October brings relief and the grace of baseball – no chains to measure distance, just the crack of baseball bats, balls…
Oscar de la Renta, fashion designer and celebrity among stars, died at his Kent, Conn. home. He was 82. The designer had battled cancer for nearly eight years, but continued to dress famous women: Sarah Jessica Parker, Amy Adams, are two of the glamourous women…
Lots of talk last week about what to call the October 12 holiday. How did you observe, or not observe, October 12? We like to romanticize our heroes, their personal characteristics and their accomplishments. However, when we seek historical accuracy, we often make our own…
Volunteers continue their poignant and compassionate care of Ebola patients in West Africa. Dr. Stephen Hatch, an American volunteer with International Medical Corps, cares for Ebola-infected patients in a Liberian hospital. He is part of a four-week rotation. Hatch and nearly two dozen others trained…
…is an Ethiopian proverb. Perhaps when one conceals their disease from themselves, they can never begin to get well – find medication, support or change behaviors needed for healing. Perhaps when one conceals their disease from the community, they are not part of a group…
The bishops have continued their conversation on family issues; they are midway in their two-week meeting. While the doors are closed, seems some minds have opened. A document summarizing their discussions has been released. “The bishops said gays had ‘gifts and qualities’ to offer and…
Singer John Denver died on this day in 1997. He was a folk singer, song writer, humanitarian and activist –advocating for the land and against war. For many boomers, he was their voice, singing a little bit country, a little bit folk music about issues…
When I was a student at Gonzaga, I was privileged to spend a year in Florence. We traveled to exotic places – the Holy Land, Greece, Jordan, the USSR, and to romantic destinations, like Venice. And while we rode those click-clack trains, our brains -…
Pope Francis called a meeting in Rome this week seeking conversations among 200 prelates. The topic: how to make Church teachings on family issues relevant for today’s Catholics. For openers, the men listened to Ron and Mavis Pirola, a married couple from Australia, talk about…
We all have our rituals of greeting and departing – a wild embrace, hugs, sweet kisses of I missed you as well as good-bye. As Ebola spreads throughout West Africa, another casualty of the disease is affection expressed in touching, hugging, kissing each other on…
Zorba Paster, public radio’s baby boomer doc, will visit Spokane on Thursday. Paster’s sensible approach to living life with balance and common sense appeals to many listeners. He will talk about how to live a longer – and enjoyable – life. Paster will also answer…
October 4 is the Feast Day of St. Francis of Assisi – the namesake of our pope. St. Francis loved animals and was the first to create a nativity story – with real animals. Many parishioners are invited to bring their beloved critters to church…
When many soldiers came home from Vietnam, they came home in groups of two or three. Often they were not given the respect or thanks they deserved. Next week, Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Western Washington will honor those soldiers from Vietnam. The base will host…
As pets accompany their owners more places, the friendly skies are often not so friendly for our pets. In the last four years, 62 animals have been injured or died while in transit on Alaska Airlines. Only Delta – with six times Alaska’s air traffic…
The FDA has approved the use of scorpion-derived venom in human trials on brain cancer patients. Really. The re-engineered protein from the scorpion is mixed with a fluorescent molecule "flashlight;" the product, called “tumor paint,” illuminates tumors or areas so small a physician may be…
Christine Hansen did not intend to become a partner in the healing of others’ grief, but she is. Hansen is a glass artist who lives near Olympia; she takes cremains (people and pets) and incorporates the ashes into glass memorial beads. Some of the beads…
Three retired firefighters who rushed in to assist people when the World Trade Center was hit by terrorists, died on the same day – all from cancer. In the years since the attacks, many first responders have suffered from respiratory illness. Many have died from…
Spokane Bishop Blase Cupich, perhaps some of the best evidence yet of the “Francis effect,” has arrived in his new home - Chicago. Cupich, reportedly more moderate than his Chicago predecessor Archbishop George, leaves a diocese of 100,000 Catholics to take on the Chicago Archdiocese…
Providence Health & Services celebrates its humble beginnings this week, honoring the foundress of Providence, Blessed Emilie Gamelin. She died on September 23, 1851. Emilie married a man who was decades older than she was; they had three sons. The happy couple shared a vision…
Beloved actress and singer, Polly Bergen, died Saturday at her home in Connecticut. She was 84 years old. Bergen won an Emmy in 1957 for her portrayal of singer Helen Morgan – an alcoholic. Fifty years later she was nominated again for a role on…
The pope witnessed 20 couples’ wedding vows at the Vatican’s St. Peter’s Basilica last Sunday. Some couples live together; some of the betrothed had been married before. One bride is a mother - all unusual for Catholic weddings. Pope Francis advised them that marriage is…
You may not know his name, but you know his lyrics. Bob Crewe wrote songs for Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons, as well as other music legends. His lyrics marked our rites of passage. Boomers remember. Bob Crewe died last week at the age…
The whole strutting one’s body in a swimsuit in hopes of “winning,” goes against all my sensibilities. Have to say. Still, I smile when I think of the Miss America pageant. As a little girl, I watched the annual cattle call-like festivities with my grandmother…
We walk the streets of our communities and at any time we see them: persons who have mental illness. When one of these persons commits a crime – or is it a crime if they have limited awareness? – they are arrested and put in…
We remember where we were, the images on television, the accounting for friends and family who live in New York City. My sisters and I frantically called each other to learn about my brother-in-law. He was in Lower Manhattan on business. After sixty minutes, he…
Spokesman-Review features writer Rebecca Nappi, along with writer Catherine Johnston of Olympia, Wash., discuss here issues facing aging boomers, seniors and those experiencing serious illness, dying, death and other forms of loss.
