My sister is amazing. I really love her. One day, her husband collapsed suddenly and died. An undetected brain aneurysm burst. They say that it is the most peaceful way to die. You fall asleep. My sister is very strong. Left to raise two children, ages 7 and 9, she is the epitome of grit
Author: Jo Tango
‘The Men of Atalissa’
It is great to hear when “the system” actually works. In this morning’s NY Times, Dan Barry has written an incredible article, profiling a group of intellectually-disabled men. 21 men lived together in a bunk house and worked at a turkey-processing plant. They were paid insanely low wages and lived in terrible conditions. For decades. Their
Amazing Book: ‘Girls Like Us’
Today is International Women’s Day. My children, of both genders, seem to have a great deal of opportunity and access to great teachers, mentors and role models. They live in a stable home. But, I know that’s rare. So, I thought it would be appropriate to write about women and girls who have little choice
What’s Your ‘Drug of Choice’?
There’s a very thoughtful article in today’s NY Times regarding a plague of heroin addiction in Bennington, Vermont. It made me think of something a friend of mine told me a few weeks ago about addiction: “Well, I had an addiction, too–my drug of choice was work.” That really resonated with me. I am a
Ash Wednesday
Tomorrow is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. I will be giving up again alcohol, abstaining from meat on Fridays, and most important, trying to self-reflect more. Also, I’m really excited about Pope Francis’ emphasis on humility, service and social justice–and, want to focus on these themes as I ponder next steps on fighting sex
A Mardi Gras Talk About Happiness
Happiness can be elusive. Ask people what they want from life, and the answer usually is: “I want to be happy.” Then, ask them how to define happiness, and you get a polyglot of answers. I write this because I went to a really fun Mardi Gras party Saturday night. Amidst the masks, live jazz