Transitions With Jean - Columns

May is finally here! Spring is in the air.  Historically, this is the time of year for spring cleaning: that is when we give the house a once-over from top to bottom, shake off winter and let the sunshine in. If your mom is still living in her house, here is a gift...

You may have heard the term “Advance Directives”. Perhaps you say you don’t really need one. You may ask: “What is the big deal?” Let’s explore.True or false: If something happens to my husband and he can’t make decisions for himself, the doctors will let me choose...

It happened again this week. I got a call from my son, Mike, who is also my head driver at our moving company. “Mom,” he said in a very exasperated voice, “We unloaded the truck into this customer’s new apartment. The boxes are stacked to the ceiling. There is so much...

“Is it good for me?” A while back, my hubby and I were watching a TV show called “The Voice”. One of the stars was Alicia Keys, and she was bantering with Blake Sheldon, one of the other stars; (think of him like the annoying big brother that likes to pester...

January. Brrrr. Here we are in the month of ice, of cold temperatures, short days with little sunshine, with wind-chill factors, and joy. Yes, I said joy!Wouldn’t you like to get joy in your life? I discovered how to do that when I recently visited a kindergarten...

It is the holiday season; a time for laughter, for visiting, for reminiscing. If you haven’t seen Mom and Dad for a while, it is also a time for observing. You might intend to fly in on a whirlwind trip, plan all kinds of activities with them, take them out to a show...

There is no place like home. It is the reason we all get together over the holidays. Can you smell the traditional foods? Whether it is turkey and sage dressing, pumpkin pie, fried potato pancakes, Christmas cookies or stollen,… can you smell it now?Just thinking...

Dear Jean, you had a beautiful ballad many years ago about a mom making a move. My family needs to hear it now that we are going through this. Can you print it again? Absolutely. Here you go. It goes to the tune of On Top of Old Smokey. On top of my table, all covered...

Here is a follow-up to the last column and some feedback from readers: Dear Jean, I’ve always enjoyed your column but today when you were telling minimalist kids to take their parents’ stuff as a favor to the parents, I had to disagree with your advice. I only want my...

Do you need a little help understanding your parents? Sometimes, you just can’t figure them out. They hold on to everything they possess and just won’t let go. All their stuff is special to them, and they want you to want it. You don’t. In addition, they simply won’t...