Janet's Blog

It has always been a little frustrating for me to play Pitch with my dad, and with my uncles, too, for that matter.  Dad and his brothers taught me the game while I was still in grade school.  I remember sitting around one of several dining room tables,with all the leaves in, playing "call for your partner," or some other variation of ten point Pitch, with my aunts and uncles and cousins, as well as Mom and Dad and, often, a grandparent or two.  We laughed together repeatedly, and groaned over and over at each other's blunders and misfortunes.  It was a game we loved and, sometimes, loved to hate. When it came to the game of Pitch, I discovered early on that my Dad and his brothers were always "all in."  Each one of them would routinely bid more than their hands could support, hoping that a partner would have whatever was needed to help them win.  No matter what I bid, someone would out-bid me.  I might have the better hand, but they had more guts.  They ha

Life is a roller coaster ride, isn't it, with steep ascents and descents, lots of highs and lows, often moving so fast we can't take time to enjoy the view.  Sometimes we struggle just to maintain equilibrium, only to find that a seat mate has vomited all over us!  We find ourselves yearning, pleading to be let off, but that roller coaster seems to have a mind of its own; it just won't stop.     Faster and faster, higher, then lower, at breakneck speed, one crisis after another, one burst of jubilation followed by the inevitable letdown.  We find ourselves longing for a merry-go-round existence, predicable and safe, with little ups and downs, slowly covering the same ground over and over again.  Yet, where is the fun in that?  What sense of fulfillment will we have if we spend our lives going around in endless circles? Do you remember what it was like to ride the Ferris Wheel for the first time, safely accompanied by Mom or Dad?  It seemed like we could see forev