Always drawn to the poetic, I took the home pregnancy test on Mother's Day. By the following Mother's Day, its pink line was a blue-swaddled bundle, and I had Mother's Day cards in the mailbox and dibs on the day. Swinging between wonderment at the miracle in my arms, and...

Having lived in this body through five decades and about that many dress sizes, I know well its photo album of configurations: heavy, thin, flabby, fit, overindulged, undernourished. It took eating my way through all these ages and stages to -- finally, at last, glory hallelujah -- figure out which...

My 6-year-old cat had been diagnosed with cancer that day, yet there she was, crouched tigress-like behind the shower curtain, uncharacteristically jutting out a Seal Point Siamese paw as I brushed my teeth: feline fusillade aimed at my bare feet. Ivy wanted to play! My heart leapt, so immediate and...

I'm not a nursing home resident. I haven't buried a spouse. I've never been diagnosed with a mental health condition. My qualifications for writing about loneliness come from a place that's appreciably brighter than many of loneliness' heavier haunts.

They come from a childhood shared with an imaginary friend...

Everything about summer supports my bodily ideal: the salads, the swimming, the sunlight. It's easy to feel the "Whee!" when your spirit, calorie burn and healthy glow are free, free, free. I dive in, a middle-aged schoolgirl counting her play days until September and falling, giddy and exhausted, into bed...

October being National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, women look down and ponder how aware we are -- or aren't -- of our breasts the other 11 months of the year.

They're just there, our breasts, pleasing our partners, feeding our babies and giving us pause as we assess wardrobe matters...

October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and breasts are getting their fair share of attention. In honor of the occasion, here's a modest guide to the care and handling of the "girls," from self-exams to bras, to breast-conscious fashion selections. Check them out and share your own experiences with...