Latest posts by Zita Christian
Read my latest blog articles
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A Valentine’s Day Ritual for One
My local gift shop, grocery store, pharmacy, and post office all sell greeting cards. Annual holidays transform the rotating racks according to the seasonal emblems – witches, turkeys, evergreen trees, hearts, and shamrocks. For Valentine’s Day there are options for a person’s husband, wife, son, son-in-law, grandson, daughter, daughter-in-law, granddaughter, brother, sister, mother, father,…
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How Did I Survive the Caregiving Journey? Truth, Strength, and Walter Cronkite
I grew up listening to Walter Cronkite. He signed off each nightly newscast with “And that’s the way it is.” As a kid, I was often alarmed by the news. But I reasoned that if Walter Cronkite respected me enough to tell me the truth, surely that meant I could handle it. Yes, my reasoning…
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Ritual: A Baby is Born
Cue the scene from The Lion King when Rafiki lifts the newborn cub, Simba, to the heavens and proclaims him King Mufasa’s son and heir to Pride Rock. I bet you can hear the music, The Circle of Life. For centuries, cultures the world over marked the arrival of a baby with a ritual. For…
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“I Didn’t See It Coming” – Interview with LBD caregiver Mary Lou Falcone
Mary Lou Falcone became a caregiver when her father had a massive stroke. She was 10 years old. The experience prepared her for the day, many years later, when her husband, illustrator and 1950s rocker Nicky Zann, was diagnosed with Lewy Body Dementia (LBD). In her memoir, I Didn’t See It Coming: Scenes of Love,…
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Episode 14: My First Holiday Season Alone
My husband died last summer. He had Alzheimer’s. I’ve experienced a lot of “firsts” without him: his birthday, my birthday, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, New Years, and most recently, Valentine’s Day. Some of those days passed without incident. Others…not so much. It’s March. I survived the first holiday season alone. I know there is no end-point…
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Guidelines for Writing Your Own Wedding Vows
A wedding vow, whether traditional or personal, is the most universal way for a couple to satisfy their declaration of intent, one of the two legal requirements for marriage ceremonies in the United States. Reciting personal vows gives couples the opportunity to express __________, knowing moments later the second of the two legal requirements will…
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Episode 57: The Charming of the Plow – A Norse Winter Festival to Honor the Dwarves and Prep Your Tools
Are you an artisan, a craftsperson, a maker? It’s February. It’s time to affirm your faith in your talent, prepare your tools, and get to work on your big dream. If you lived in the Old World in the land of the Norse, you’d be preparing your iron…