Podcast Notes
Persistence U with Lizbeth Podcast
Podcast episodes are posted Wednesdays and include stories by and for survivors and strivers, all threaded together with a dose of persistence.
Meandering Miser’s Five Ways to Fund Foreign Travel
I recently returned from working a week in Barrow, Alaska, the northernmost city in the United States. I’m so fortunate to have a job that pays a slim salary, but offers benefits like generous leave, medical insurance, and an alternate workweek. My work also offers...
A Mother’s Day Thank You to the ROSE Fund
Mother's Day last weekend was especially terrific. My youngest daughter graduated from college in New Mexico the day before, so I was there to spend it with her. It's been at least five years since we were together for Mother's Day, and she went to great lengths to...
A few of my favorite blogs
This week, I'm a bundle of nerves. I don't know if it's information overload about all that is wrong with the world today, upcoming travels, or just too much caffeine. What I do know is there are certain blog links I read that help pacify, even inspire me. Below are...
International Parental Child Abduction, Then and Now
Did you have the chance to watch young Sean Goldman on television Friday night on NBC? He's the adorable little boy who was snatched from the states by his Brazilian mother in 2005. She died four years later. Still, her family refused to return Sean home to his...
Web of Friendship
Editor’s note: The connections I've maintained with my childhood friends taught me how a lot about how family could be, and equipped me to find my missing family. I met Susan Sommer when we were in grade school, and am so pleased to have her as my first guest blogger....
Celebrating a Gift
Today is cause for a celebration. Exactly twenty three years ago, after nearly 70 hours of labor, my youngest daughter Meredith was born. At home. The only attendants were her toddler-sister and her alarmed father. The midwife set to deliver her had left to...
Three Reasons to Locate Your Missing Family Members
There are newer shows now. Like Long Lost Family. I boo-hoo, every time I see it. My update since the first time I posted this: I published my memoir. And because I did, I met a still-missing brother and cousins and, more recently, had contact with an uncle I'd...
Not Judging Amy/ An Employer Responds to Domestic Violence
psu.edu Tonight, I went to the University of Alaska, Anchorage’s (UAA) screening of Telling Amy’s Story, a documentary sponsored by Verizon Wireless after their long-time Pennsylvania employee was shot at point blank range in her home by her husband while her parents...
To Eat or Not to Eat: The End of a Troubled Relationship
Not all bad relationships are between people. I’ve limped along my negative relationship with food for decades, carrying the associated emotional and physical baggage. My old diaries from ages 13 and 14 are missing the cursory teenage angst about boys and mean girls...
3d Book Group/ AfterImage by Carla Malden
Every six weeks or so, I get together with some of my favorite friends and talk books. Until now, we’ve met at a coffee shop, spoken about our impressions of the book, and let conversation morph into one about our lives and loves. (1/2 the group at Cafe Del Mundo...
Child Abduction’s Anniversary
Eighteen years ago today, my daughters were snatched and taken to Greece. There are certain details I'll never forget. I remember waving goodbye to them as they climbed into their father’s jeep for their two day visitation. I remember meeting my friend Julie for...
Take It From Me: Supporting Your Abused Friend While Staying Safe and Sane
DO Tell her she deserves to be treated well. Tell her you’re concerned for her safety . Ask questions like “Why do you think he/she does that?” Limit how much time you spend listening to her vent. Report abuse of children in the home, or of children witnessing the...
Holiday Joy
This holiday season passed by much better than I'd ever hoped. Every year since I can remember, I've dreaded the holidays. By October, I'm praying I could wake up and it be January 2nd. Forget Halloween, Thanksgiving. Really forget Christmas, and skip the Happy New...
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year, and welcome to my new blog. As I write, fireworks are sounding all around me. It's 12:00AM in Alaska, 2012, and I'm packing to go on a big fat adventure. Vietnam and Laos. Perhaps the only two countries in the world where I won't feel broke. But first,...