Tag: #retiredteacher

Writing is Prayer

Posted on February 17, 2022 by JANET L BARKER

Some people kneel. Some people chant and sing. Some people bow their heads and cup their hands. To me, writing is prayer. It’s the way I connect. It’s the way I listen. It’s the way I distract my mind with lists and events and… Continue Reading “Writing is Prayer”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #annefrank, #cambria, #change, #faith, #grandparent, #hope, #love, #loveeverymoment, #prayer, #redondobeach, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #teaching, #writing, #writingisprayer

Saturday before the Saturday

Posted on February 12, 2022 by JANET L BARKER

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I know I’ve written about this topic before: Leaving. It has always been ridiculously hard for me, starting with my cousin Bevie leaving Spreckles Lane to go back home to San Carlos or Chicago. Leading up to, and following, her departure I would be… Continue Reading “Saturday before the Saturday”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #daughters, #grandbabies, #grandparenting, #grandparents, #hope, #ilovecalifornia, #love, #loveeverymoment, #newyork, #noom, #nyc, #redondobeach, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #therightpath

No One Wants to Read a Blog …

Posted on February 8, 2022 by JANET L BARKER

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About complaining. About why the world is going to hell. About who’s right and who’s wrong. About Trump. About Biden. About COVID. About masks. About insane, selfish people who value their rights over the health and welfare of others. We want to read about… Continue Reading “No One Wants to Read a Blog …”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #babyshark, #Broadway, #California, #Finland, #grandma, #grandparents, #Hadestown, #hope, #llaboulangeriedefrancois, #loveeverymoment, #newyork, #nyc, #parenting, #retiredteacher, #southerncalifornia, #writinglife

Babies, Toddlers and Life in the Big City

Posted on December 5, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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It’s hot. It’s cold. I’m sweating in the overheated apartment or I’m freezing on a jaunt to the Queens Farm Museum with two-week-old Hudson and 20-month-old big sis, Millie. I’m limping with a sore left knee that doctors here need a referral to fix… Continue Reading “Babies, Toddlers and Life in the Big City”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #California, #daughters, #education, #grandparents, #hope, #legacy, #loveeverymoment, #newyorkcity, #nyc, #Queens, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #teaching, #wine

Meet you in Manhattan

Posted on November 20, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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An Uber driver galloped through 5 a.m. Saturday traffic to Lenox Hill Hospital in Manhattan. Those iconic, fairy tale lights that define NYC’s skyline felt like coachmen escorting us–Mommy Katie, Dada Jason and Grandma JanZ—to Cinderella’s ball. It was surreal, like a scene from… Continue Reading “Meet you in Manhattan”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #grandparents, #grandsons, #hope, #HudsonRiver, #loveeverymoment, #newbaby, #newgrandparent, #newparents, #nyc, #proudgrandma, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #teaching

Violence in the Playground

Posted on November 17, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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Millie is once again used to me. After a few short months of separation between her longterm Spring/Summer staycation in Southern California with Mommy and Gma, she kinda forgot me. At 20 months, it’s to be expected. It was clear over the course of… Continue Reading “Violence in the Playground”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #grandparents, #IloveNYC, #leanintolove, #Queens, #retiredteacher, #teachablemoment, #teaching, #toddlers

A Whole New World

Posted on November 10, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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You know the “Aladdin” song? (just in case you need a reminder: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iq2KLYRLQyw ) Well, that’s how I’m feeling these glorious November days, my new favorite month of the year, next to retirement October and September, the months the world goes back to work… Continue Reading “A Whole New World”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #alanmenken, #covid, #disney, #disneyland, #educator, #essentialeducators, #grandarents, #granddaughters, #gratitude, #HongKonggrandparents, #hope, #ILoveNewYork, #love, #loveeverymoment, #pandemic, #Queens, #retiredgrandma, #retiredteacher, #retirement, #timrice, #wholenewworld

26.2 Mile Marathon, and so much more

Posted on November 8, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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Look at them: 30,000 runners, all of them pre-qualified by running previous marathons. Just a sprinkling appear to be competitive. Most paid the $200 entry fee because they wanted to challenge themselves: To be better, stronger, more mentally focused. At Mile 23 of the… Continue Reading “26.2 Mile Marathon, and so much more”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #HongKong, #ILoveNewYork, #IloveNYC, #immigrants, #loveeverymoment #covid19 #teaching #education, #marathoners, #medicalschool, #NewYorkCityMarathon2021, #NYCPublicschoolteacher, #retiredteacher, #runners, grandparent

Book Mountain

Posted on November 2, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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I’m sure it’s OK with you if my eyes are misty. Let me tell you why: For the first time in two years, I walked into a bookstore. Granted, it was a Big Box-type bookstore, still, there were row after row of hard bound… Continue Reading “Book Mountain”

Category: UncategorizedTags: ##imagination, #barnesandnoble, #coffeeandbooks, #covid, #favoritebooks, #giftofbooks, #grandparenting, #grandparents, #loveeverymoment, #mysideofthemountain, #Nature, #powerofreading, #powerofwords, #reading, #retiredteacher

Sitting in an alcove of reverence

Posted on November 1, 2021 by JANET L BARKER

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Dark blue tent. White Eurovan Camper Home. Turquoise folding chair. Watercolor paints. Edna Valley chardonnay. Cornflower-blue sky. 1,000-day Gouda. Mushroom brie. Multi-seeded Norwegian crackers. Handy portable generator powering up my LifeIZGood laptop. Layers of blue. Layers of green. Layers of quiet. Translucent breeze. Crashing… Continue Reading “Sitting in an alcove of reverence”

Category: UncategorizedTags: #blessings, #cambria, #centralcoast, #eurovancamper, #Godislove, #hope, #ilovecalifornia, #loveisGod, #Nature, #oceanpeace, #retiredteacher, #travelinggrandparent, #winetasting

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