November 2018 - The Brick Magazine

THE FRUITFUL DARK

bridget b2018-11-29T20:03:29+00:00November 28th, 2018|Inspirational|

by Madeleine Forbes December is a time of paradox for those of us tuned into the seasons. And even if the rhythms of the land are not ones you pay attention too, you probably know what I’m talking about. One one hand, there’s the buzz and gaiety of the holidays — brightly-lit spaces, gatherings with family and friends, the hustle and chaos of feasting. And on the other, there’s the stillness of the land. The trees stand bare; the sap moves inward, stalling growth. Movement is kept to a minimum. The birds forage quickly, finding what spare sustenance they can. The [...]

HOLIDAY JOY: LAUGHTER IS GOOD MEDICINE

bridget b2018-11-29T20:01:26+00:00November 28th, 2018|Health|

BY LISA PROFERA MD As you get caught up in the busy holiday season, take some time to laugh. My advice one year ago in the first issue of BRICK discussed ways to stress less over the holidays. Now that we have hit the one-year anniversary of this wonderful magazine, I hope that you have benefitted from the helpful perspectives and practices shared by all of the authors this year. Holiday time can be a time of stress, but we can keep that to a minimum and place the focus back onto joy. Taking time to laugh can help. You may [...]

Reflections on a Girl’s Journey through Ice and Life

bridget b2018-11-29T20:01:39+00:00November 28th, 2018|Inspirational|

Review by Bernadette Quist of the book Across the Lake by Lee Zacharias Author Lee Zacharias adeptly captures the mind and voice of both a five-year-old girl and an eighty-year-old woman — sometimes on the same page. Mostly, we hear from sassy, ahead-of-her-time Fern who goes on the trip of a lifetime with her mostly illusive freighter-captain father. He takes her to work with him on his Lake Michigan railcar ferry when her mother becomes too ill to care for her. Fern’s father is gone most of the time, but on one sadly memorable trip, he makes the decision to take her [...]

LET’S HOST A BEER DINNER

bridget b2018-11-29T20:24:36+00:00November 28th, 2018|Ann Arbor Interest, Recipes|

By Liz Crowe Welcome to Booze 101, a new and ongoing column here at Brick Magazine. Together, we will explore various options on the alcohol shelf and what you can do with them that does not involve an ice luge, red solo cups, or ping pong balls.* For December, I’ve decided to go with something dear to me: pairing great beer with food. A.k.a., The Beer-Pairing Dinner. Don’t fret if you don’t think you know about the differences in beer. I’m going to provide you with some specific recommendations. They should be available at most chain groceries, but for a couple [...]

Anger: Gunfire vs. Fire In Our Belly

bridget b2018-11-29T20:02:09+00:00November 28th, 2018|Spirituality|

by Morella Devost, EdM, MA What is happening in our communities? As I write this, people are mourning eleven Jewish brothers and sisters in Pittsburgh. The pipe bomber had his first court appearance. Every day, we see proof that old-school civility in politics and evening news has been replaced by insults, vitriol, and blaming. We have an anger problem in our country (and world), and it doesn’t seem to be getting any better. But before we are tempted to point the finger, let’s all pause to explore what’s really behind the collective anger issue. The problem is not that there is [...]

Your Kitchen’s Winter Arsenal

bridget b2018-11-29T20:02:22+00:00November 28th, 2018|Recipes|

By Jillian Fraioli I’m what you’d call a food hoarder. If an archaeologist went on an excavation in my freezer, they’d find my stash: chicken bones from roasted or rotisserie chickens, ham bones, fish bones; shrimp shells, multiple bags of vegetable detritus (they can be very useful!); ice cubes of chimichurri and pesto, stocks of various flavors, small amounts of leftover spaghetti sauce, meat scraps, and frozen ginger bits. I’m that person that if you invite me over and you’re throwing away any kind of bone, I’ll ask to take it home. To me, this is a boon. I can conjure [...]

Into the Unknown

bridget b2018-11-29T20:02:36+00:00November 28th, 2018|Inspirational|

Woman on the Street by Stella Orange Of all the stories that have ever been told, there’s one that I love most of all. It’s a story I learned when I was in college, more than (gulp!) twenty years ago. It’s a story that I now teach in my writing workshops. It goes something like this: A woman is sitting at home on her couch. She’s got her comfy PJs on and a big bowl of popcorn (or pastry; take your pick). The curtains are drawn and the house is quiet. She picks up the remote control and turns on a [...]

THIS HOLIDAY, GIFT EXPERIENCES, NOT THINGS

bridget b2018-11-29T20:03:02+00:00November 28th, 2018|Minimalism|

The true gift lies in what’s behind the “stuff” By Bridget Baker Across much of the world, we view the holiday season as “the most wonderful time of the year,” and a time full of “comfort and joy.” This focus on being “jolly” and “merry and bright” can go from a positive emotion to a feeling of pressure to give more, to celebrate more, and can hit on pains you never knew you had. How could a holiday time that’s supposed to be so “happy” start bringing up feelings of stress, lacking, and frustration? In the true spirit of giving, what [...]

Personal Journey Inspires Work as an Alzheimer’s Researcher

bridget b2018-11-29T20:03:41+00:00November 28th, 2018|Uncategorized|

By Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane who devotes her career to helping African American caregivers Dr. Sheria Robinson-Lane is a respected gerontologist, a national lecturer and health educator, and a premier researcher, dedicated to improving the lives of African American seniors. Dr. Robinson-Lane focuses on how diverse elders age with chronic disease, a line of study she has been pursuing at the University of Michigan since 2011. Her goals are to use her findings to help reduce health disparities for minority older adults, and to make a difference for the family members who care for those individuals by looking into the factors that [...]

HOLIDAY LOOKS: WORKING WINTER TRENDS

bridget b2018-11-29T20:03:57+00:00November 28th, 2018|Fashion|

By Angela Harrison Can you believe we’ve been talking all things fashion for a year now?! We’ve made it back to where it all began — the December holiday issue! Aside from this being a fab year at The Brick, we’ve got more important things to discuss, like our holiday looks. December is always busy, jam-packed with work parties, dinners with friends, fam time, — making it easy to succumb to the holiday-reds and other obvious seasonal choices. This winter fashion season is full of texture, color, and prints we don’t normally associate with holiday attire, which will set your looks [...]

THE GIFT OF PRESENCE

bridget b2018-11-29T20:03:16+00:00November 28th, 2018|Inspirational|

“Let others see their greatness by looking into your eyes.” ~ Mollie Morti By Maria Sylvester ‘Tis the season of presents. For some, giving gifts is a delicious delight. For others, it is a nerve-racking, stress-filled challenge. Why not take the pressure out of this year’s holiday time? Gift-shopping need not have to throw you into overwhelm. Instead, simply consider nurturing all of your relationships with the gift of presence — your wonderful presence! How does one practice presence in relationships? First and foremost, you must appreciate your personal significance. Feel into this. Really recognize how much you matter to those [...]

LOVE ACTUALLY – THE ABSENCE OF LOVE IN YOUR 40’S

bridget b2018-10-25T23:47:29+00:00November 1st, 2018|Relationships|

by Anna Wilking For anyone who has been single at an age when you’re “supposed” to be partnered, it can be a gut-wrenching time. After a sudden and terrible breakup with a (terrible) partner, who I was willing to hunker down with and squeeze out some babies, I suddenly found myself alone and heartbroken at the age of 38. I had been with my partner for several years and could have never foreseen the circumstances that led to my walking out (more on that later). Little did I know that I would be single for the next four years. Yes, I [...]