Growing Bolder Community

I have a life-long history of learning everything the hard way. I've even mentioned it with a perverse sense of pride in conversation. Dozens of times. Mary Chapin Carpenter's song, "The Hard Way" from her album "Come on Come on" was my anthem for about a decade. But this morning brought a new appreciation for taking the time to read the instruction manual once in a while before embarking into...

A few months ago, part of the long slate wall in front of our house collapsed. Ours is a brown cape that sits high along a busy route bisecting our Vermont town. The masonry is such a prominent feature that folks are inclined to describe our property this way: “Oh, that’s the place with all those stone walls.” Either that, or, “Oh, you live in old Judge O’Boyle’s place.” Mind you,...

With Mother’s Day approaching, I am inspired by the wonderful articles and video I watched about breast cancer on Growing Bolder. I grew up being taught to put others before myself and used that analogy throughout my life. I remember many Christmas layaways at our local Kmart that ended with me putting back the things for my husband and myself so our kids could have a good Christmas. Through the...

Growing up in a house where our mother was a strong, dominant figure it took us by surprise when...