Savoring the Solitude: A Writer’s Life
The day after Liz and David’s wedding, we cleaned-up, congratulated ourselves about how well everything…
Talking Back: Essential Marriage Skills 101
Three-year-old David snuggled on our friend Jeanne Astor’s lap in an Ithaca clothing store. “What’s…
Roadblocks and New Beginnings
I jump in my car, pull out of my driveway, and speed uphill—the direct route…
Sunshine on the Wedding: June 2013
We wake up to blue skies, our weather prayers answered. Friends arrive to do the…
The Day before the Wedding: Chop, jive, and remember the missing
The morning before David and Liz’s wedding, Tropical Storm Andrea dumps six inches of rain…
Gifts of the Heart: Volunteering at Hospice
The lights darken on viewing night for senior project documentaries created by Ithaca College Journalism…
My Mother’s Rules: Good Grades and No Babies
Don’t get pregnant and get good grades. When I was in high school, these rules…
Social Media for Authors: Jill Swenson interviews Elaine Mansfield
Jill Swenson of Swenson Book Development interviewed me about my use of social media to…
The Cancer Survivor: Hope Lodge Hospitality House 2007
“Congratulations,” Mark said as I packed up my food in the American Cancer Society Hope…
Dressing Up the Mother of the Groom
This body likes hiking boots and jeans. It digs deep wide holes for plants and…