Here's to Happy Women...

It’s important to me. It’s important to you. It’s just not that important to anyone else. If it’s not important to others, then we can’t count on them. How often does this occur in our lives? Whether it’s the guy who shows up over an hour late for your party with the ice, or one of your good friends arriving with hors d'oeuvres just as dessert is being served, the answer is all too often. Sometimes it’s little things that inconvenience us, other times it’s bigger issues — issues that can effect the quality of our lives. Let’s start with bigger issues. My husband had what was supposedly a “no-brainer” knee surgery 8-months ago. Now, after months of complications, including two new issues that cropped up and allegedly had “nothing” to do with the surgery, we’ve been told that my husband has advanced osteonecrosis of t he same knee. Again, the doctor tells us that this new condition is not related to the surgery, even though not one indicator relative to osteonecrosis showed up...

My last name is also a first name, but that’s okay, it’s not really my name anyway. Legally, yes — emotionally, no. As I understand it, the name Franta comes from Central Europe. It’s a common first and last name in the Czech Republic and Romania. For the most part, it’s an uncommon name in the United States, unless you’re in Minnesota or Nebraska, where many Czechoslovakian émigrés settled years ago. Franta is my husban d’s paternal surname. It’s a pet form of FRANTIŠEK, which is Czech for Franciscus and translates further as Francis, Frank, or Frenchman. It’s a distinguished name. In Pragu e, you’ll find the Hotel Franta, and all sorts of businesses named Franta something or other. There are quite a few renowned Frantas…of the first and last name. There is Franta Belsky the sculptor, and Roman Franta the painter, and Greg Franta, an award-winning pioneer of environmentally sustainable architecture, which has played a major role in the development of many successful “green” building...

Remember when our children asked our opinions — and took our advice? Better yet, remember when we just told them what to do? That was that — end of discussion: eat your peas, drink your milk, go to bed, wear a jacket, curfew at 11:00, no driving with friends, and don’t talk back. It was all so easy then, wasn’t it? Actually, I bet we all thought it was difficult at the time and it just seems easier in retrospect. As kids grow up, their issues grow accordingly. As they get older, we have to keep reminding ourselves that they aren’t kids anymore. They are adults — at least they are according to the laws governing our nation. However, this doesn’t mean that they act like adults or even think like adults. It certainly doesn’t mean that parents are ready to let go of parenting. When the word “adult” is used as a noun, it means one who has attained maturity or legal age. When used as an adjective, it means fully developed and mature. Even the various definitions of this word are at odd...

Summer is usually the most popular time of the year for family reunions. I don’t have a reunion scheduled this year, but many of my friends have already gone and returned, while others are busy preparing physically and mentally for their family gatherings. Some friends packed their ba gs and left reluctantly. They viewed their reunion as an obligation. It wasn’t a vacation — it was something they had to do. They fully expected to have a terrible time and they did. As one friend put it, “It’s a short trip to hell, especially when you know your destination.” I guess if we’re expecting the worst, we just may get it — partly because we have inside knowledge and past experience to guide us, and partly because we’re looking for it. Sure, I recognize the never to be completely understood and sometimes scary dynamics of “fa mily.” I also understand the philosophy behind the phrase “Friends are the family we choose for ourselves.” Nevertheless, family is family — no matter how we try to s...