by Susan Mattern | | Kindness, Life
Words can make a difference in our lives. They can hurt. They can make the day special, one we will always remember. A word can change the course our lives. They can change our political and religious views. They can ruin our lives. I remember a day at the playground...
by Susan Mattern | | Atheist, Death, Life
I read a letter from a mom in a column in the newspaper the other day. Her five-year-old daughter was very worried about death and was staying awake nights worrying about it. Her mom didn’t know what to tell the girl. As an atheist, I probably worry about death more...
by Susan Mattern | | Life, Music, Piano
I’m a classical pianist. But I’ve always been envious of other musicians. Almost every member of the orchestra gets to carry his own special instrument and perform on it. Flutes, clarinets, guitars, cellos, violas, piccolos, French horns. People in bands get to march...
by Susan Mattern | | Complaining, Life, Travel
“What! They seated us on the wrong side of the train! We wanted an ocean view. Find another seat for us!” The middle-aged lady and her teenage daughter were sitting on the other side of the aisle from my daughter-in-law and me. We were taking the Coast...
by Susan Mattern | | Life
When I was five years old, I started taking piano lessons from a kind old lady named Mrs. Sale. At least, I think she was old. I was only five, so she could have been in her late thirties, and I would have thought she was old. I learned where Middle C was right away,...
by Susan Mattern | | Filters, Human Connection, Life
I was thinking about Donald Trump the other day. Don’t worry, this blog isn’t going to be about politics. Really! I was thinking about how people see him so differently. A majority of Americans think he’s a terrible president, should be impeached,...
