burns | Lise1

Searching for "The Roses Man"

I met “The Roses Man” when I was 5 or 6 years old, attending Franklin Elementary School in East Orange, New Jersey. I was freshly...

How the Witch Became a Model

When I was five, my heaven was a tiny dusty theater at Upsala College in East Orange, New Jersey. My father taught music history there....

Darkness Descends; An Ode to Joy

It crept in like a low fog, so lightly that I didn’t notice it beginning to swirl around me. A vague unease, a weighty sigh. The sun...

My Worst Fear: Public Speaking (to Nobody)

What do you do when your worst fear actually happens?

Happy To Be “Too Sensitive”

My mother used to tell me, “You're too sensitive.” It was a repeated refrain, deployed when I cried too long or hurt too much. She said...

Hey Hollywood – Scars Don’t Make You Evil

At the end of a weary work week, I sprawled on the couch ready to watch a movie. I wanted to be entertained by someone else’s problems...

A Tough Fall

(Part 5 in the series Choosing More Surgery) I spoke to a psychic two weeks before my recent operations. The psychic is a friend, an...

Somewhere Over My Rainbow(s)

(Part 4 in the series Choosing More Surgery) I have always loved “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.” I identify with Dorothy in The Wizard of...

Why Me? Why Not Me?

(This is Part 3 in the series "Choosing More Surgery." See here for Part 1 and here for Part 2) “How are you doing today?” asked my...

I Hate Walter: Choosing more surgery (Part II)

(For Part I of this series, click here) “You need to make friends with it,” advised my surgeon. She smiled at me, her long straight...

Choosing More Surgery (Option 2)

“Your test results were negative.” This call was welcome news from my doctor, but also surprising. I had seen Dr. Jones (not his real...

Healing Through Pain

by Samuel Moore-Sobel, guest blogger (I am honored to host Samuel Moore-Sobel, as guest writer for this blog. You can learn more about...

5 Things to Say to a Scarred Person (and 1 Thing Not to Say)

A year ago, I sat eating lunch with my new friend, Betsy. We met when our kids performed in high school theater together. We both...