I Cannot Tell A Fib

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Well, maybe once after I came back from summer vacation, and told my classmates that Lloyd Bridges, from the TV show Sea Hunt, had invited me to spend the summer with him on his boat, the Argonaut. I was eight.

When my third grade crush, Michael Dots, doubted my story, I ran out of class and on to the playground where I promptly tripped and fell. If you’re wondering what was more humiliating – lying there by the tetherball pole with sand up my skirt or having my credibility questioned, it was definitely the latter. Because even as a kid, being someone people could trust was important to me.

It still is. And that’s why you’re reading this embarrassing childhood tale. To demonstrate my willingness to share honest, salty sweet stories and advice in The Dutiful Daughter’s Guide, which illustrate the darkness, the light, the exhaustion and the humor to be found in loving and caring for aging parents.

In this day and age, growing old with grace and dignity is fraught with challenges, as is family caregiving. When we’re not afraid to acknowledge that, we can then begin an honest, openhearted dialogue that can change things for the better.

Stay with me. There’s so much more to come.

A Library Fantasy

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After doing some research on the first public library in the U.S., it seems that several towns claim that honor – Peterborough New Hampshire, Salisbury CT, Darby PA, Newport RI, to name a few.

Regardless, I’m honored to share that the Hillsborough County Public Library System has just added The Dutiful Daughter’s Guide to Caregiving: A Practical Memoir to their collection!

Growing up, one of my fantasy jobs was  being a page at our local library, and getting to shelve books all day. This is so much better! And as you can see, Addie Jacob is just as excited.

The Perfect Book Launch Party

Signing books and retouching my eyebrows at a “Dutiful Daughter’s Guide to Caregiving” launch party given by some lovely friends, Steve and Janie Miller. This is the perfect book club selection, with a series of questions at the end that are sure to get people talking. Or maybe that will be the wine.

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