FUN FRIDAY: In London Town


A whirlwind first day in London from the moment the flight left Newark. Thanks to super high winds, the trip was only five and a half hours, the train from the airport, just 15 minutes and moments later, I was having coffee (sorry, needed a hit of caffeine even here in the land of tea!) with a terrific women’s tech marketer Belinda Parmar AKA Lady Geek. Funny how you can live time zones away from a perfect stranger and feel instantly like old friends. Have already shopped a little and narrowly avoided the “wrong way” screeching taxis. Just like home. Can hear Mom saying in my head, “When are you coming back to the US?”

This weekend my husband Joe is the one on stage as he speaks to fellow Haverford College alumni gathered here in tribute to an incredible alum of the class of ’10 (1910, that is.) Philip Noel-Baker won a silver Olympic medal for the 1500 meter event 100 years ago this summer and also the Nobel Peace prize in 1959. The upcoming summer Olympic Games in London seemed the perfect time to do this. Glad to give Philip (and Joe!) a long deserved ovation.

(photo credit: londonhotelsoption.com)

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DAY OF REST: Love and Light in the East Village

 

Joe and I met Patti Kelly by accident. But we have become long term friends on purpose.

Spring in the East Village is perfect for exploring the tiny nooks and crannies of what’s known as “Alphabet City”, the blocks of A, B and C and beyond, once the tenement homes of thousands of immigrants. Joe’s great grandparents lived there  in the 1850s and now we live nearby. Today it’s a mix of ultra hip, downtown grunge, dotted with NYU-everything and dozens of terrific little shops and cool restaurants. But it’s still got its edge. I once asked a vendor on St. Mark’s place where I could get a temporary tattoo and he practically seared me with his look of disdain. The East Village we love is as Joe likes to call it, heaven for teenagers.

Anyway, back to Patti. One night we wandered into the open door of Patti’s studio where her large black dog Moon keeps a watchful eye. Her glorious, colorful and cluttered studio was visual lightning on the dark block and so was she. A tiny spitfire of Irish New York, Patti is salt of the earth with a glimmer of mischief thrown in. We told her about our plain glass apartment transoms and our dreams of a special stained glass window. Patti nodded, offered suggestions…and then waited. And waited. It took us four years to find her again, this time, we were serious.

Our apartment overlooks a Gothic church and we felt that stained glass would be a great fit. The first window she designed incorporated not just a Frank Lloyd Wright-ish arts and crafts design, but tiny pieces of gray glass because it reminded her (and now us) of the shock of hair on the forehead of our loved but gone dog Dannyboy. This photo shows another example of her magic. Our friend architect Michael Margulies drew some sketches inspired by the famous Scottish father of arts and crafts design Rennie Mackintosh and we let Patti go loose. She designed this window, including the thistle, the Scottish national flower (my grandfather came to America from Glasgow at age 14.)

Patti is so talented and fun and so good inside and out. Together with Patti, we are happy to bring even a bit of beautiful light that lasts.

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MONDAYS WITH MOM: What Mom Taught me about Love

Today, February 24th would have been my mom’s 88th birthday if she had lived that long. Of course, if she had lived that long, she’d be pretty upset that I said how old she was. My mother always seemed young. She lived life with optimism and curiosity and genuine delight. She would credit that joy to being married to a man she loved as if she were still his new bride…my Dad, Ray Finlayson. So on her birthday, I’d like to share a blog I wrote this week for Sheknows.com which features her tips for a long and happy relationship. Happy birthday, Mom. And Happily Ever After…

 

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  • "The courage and wisdom from the messages left in her mother’s God Box will inspire you to create a God Box of your own."
    – GAIL SHEEHY, AUTHOR OF "PASSAGES IN CAREGIVING"
  • "Mary Lou Quinlan shares her mother’s handmade and heartfelt gift of how to persist, believe and move forward with joy."
    – LEE WOODRUFF, AUTHOR OF "IN AN INSTANT"
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    – ELIZABETH GILBERT, AUTHOR OF "EAT, PRAY, LOVE"
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    – JEFFREY ZASLOW, COAUTHOR OF "THE LAST LECTURE"
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    – LAURA SCHROFF, AUTHOR OF "THE INVISIBLE THREAD"

The God Box App is shiny new and ready to welcome your cares

March 29, 2024
by Mary Lou Quinlan

Since The God Box book was published in the spring of 2012, so many readers have told me that they started their own God Boxes. I love hearing stories of children creating God Boxes and married couples joining their prayer and cares in a family box. (And my mother would be thrilled!)  A 'real' God box is a constant reminder that we are not in control and that letting go is the first step to finding comfort, hope and relief for life's worries. But did you know that many thousands have gone virtual with their God boxes? To help the many busy ...

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