What Lies Ahead?

by Jacquie Scarbrough

In the Summer 2009 issue of Cape Women Online, I discussed what you leave behind when you step into the next stage of life.

How could I envision that my next stage would include partially paralyzed legs? So much to leave behind – and no easy stepping

While on vacation, sailing near Prince Edward Island in early September, I experienced numbness in my right leg and rushed to Massachusetts General Hospital where a neurosurgeon had been following my case for years.

Readers Share Favorite Holiday Memories

A Visit from the Spirit of Christmas

by Lynne Delaney

I will always remember Christmas 2006 as an extraordinary time of magical happenings.

Snapshots of a Perfect Christmas

by Nikole Jalbert

What is the perfect Christmas? I don’t know how to answer because there is no way to compare different ways of expressing love. Everyone’s holiday season is different. For me, Christmas is about family, love, and togetherness.

Some people may assume that holidays for a broken family are somehow flawed or not perfect. I have never liked that term, broken family.

Three women write about loving aspects of their lives with which they previously struggled.

Thanksgiving in Moscow

by Jerri Carlin

It was a cold day in Moscow. Although it was only November first, it felt like winter.

I hadn’t given much thought to Thanksgiving, figuring we wouldn’t have one. Just the idea of trying to find the foods we might want would be near impossible. It would also be a work day for my husband Dan, and being so far from home and family it wouldn’t feel like a holiday.

Blending Family & Holiday Traditions

by Dorothy Cohen

I'm Christian and my husband is Jewish, therefore making us the ultimate blended family. What this statement doesn't tell you is how exhausting it is. Oy, let me tell you.

When we first got married, there was no discussion of religion. Who cared? We were in love. Kids came. They were both girls, so there was no discussion of needing a bris. Again, who cared? We had plenty of time to figure it out before they got older. Boy, were we stupid.

Christmas, 2002

by Joan Graham

The plan was for us to visit my husband Christmas morning at the rehab where he was recovering from surgeries prior to his anticipated January 2nd homecoming…All of our plans were shattered by my husband’s unexpected death at 4:53 pm on Christmas Eve.