I thought writing my memoir in 2018 would be the end of my career as an author. After the book was published in January 2019, I shared it with select friends and family. The feedback was positive, and I relished the praise. I had originally thought the book, written for my grandchildren and dedicated to them, would be given to them and others after my death. That was my plan.
Life goes on as they say, and there are some days when I think about the things I wrote five years ago. Given more life experiences since then, it occurred to me that maybe I should review some of my past reflections. New topics have come to mind, and events happened, such as Janet's death, which caused me to reappraise some of my original essays. The COVID-19 pandemic, climate change with global warming, the social and political divisiveness in this country, the media and purposeful disinformation campaigns by maleficent political actors, and an increase in violence in the U.S. and abroad have changed the present world, and not for the better. Why couldn't I share some of my thoughts on these topics? This, then, is not strictly a memoir, but a hybrid strain that merges personal experiences with ruminations on important things that affect our lives.