This post is very difficult to write. It's not what you would expect, and not what I would expect. I'm not even sure where to start; so I'll start with an end -- the end of my marriage to the man who is the father of my two children.

Maybe...

It made me want to cry -- or scream -- or both.

That's how I felt watching the trailer for the upcoming film "Miss Representation" -- about the depiction of women in the media. (If you haven't seen it yet, click here and watch right this minute; then...

Cancer. Funny.

Two words I never thought I'd see -- or use -- in the same sentence.

Yet there they are. On the movie marquee. On television. And at the top of the New York Times Sunday Style section -- a feature piece called "Laughing at the Big...

That the news was predictable doesn't make it less painful. And somehow it feels so personal.

Maybe because he was so brilliant; maybe because it's so close to all of our lives in so many ways. Not just the devices we use every day but maybe because he seemed to...

I link my arm in hers as we walk, just soaking in the simple things. The sound of her voice. The warmth of her body next to me. Her pearl necklace that she never takes off. Her personality that's both calm and vibrant at the same time.

Joy -- the...

I would never say having cancer is a gift. But I would say that gifts can come from having it.

My friend and I are perfect examples.

I was missing any eye for art. I didn't even feel qualified to pick out gift wrap.

Having cancer changed everything. With two...

She built her career on laughter, but there's a good chance Iris Rainer Dart has made you cry -- if you read the book or saw the movie Beaches.

Best known as the writer of the novel Beaches, Iris grew up in Pittsburgh, dreaming she was destined for musical theater...

If you've ever faced a major crisis or challenge (and who hasn't?) you know the feeling: Your stress level skyrockets; your life goes from normal to nightmare.

A good (or really bad) example is hearing three words: You. Have. Cancer.

Whether it happens to you or to someone you...

There's a surprising amount of power in a sense of humor, sometimes including the power of attraction. Humor is what connected me to my first husband. Not only is he funny himself, he was the personal manager for Mel Brooks, a man who knows the power of a...

I am woman, hear me roar
In numbers too big to ignore.

If you're old enough to remember those words, you'll get this post. And you should read it, even if you're not.

Whether you fear it, lie about it or celebrate it, the number 50 seems way...

At times of loss, they never seem to be enough; but sometimes words are all we have.

I always feel a mix of pain and poignancy watching young women like Cate Edwards, who have the poise and presence of mind to deliver beautiful eulogies for their mothers.

When my mother...

At the start of every school year, educational expectations and strong emotions come along with back-to-school shopping. The first day photo op: proud parents, sweet smiles, sharp pencils.

For most parents, the feelings are positive: Pride. Hope. Freedom. Sometimes feelings are not as positive: If you just sent your...

I just heard the news about Al and Tipper Gore. I'm shocked. Yet I'm not.

I won't sink to speculation about the cause of their separation. To suspect Al Gore is another link in the chain of celebrity cheaters didn't even occur to me. (Okay, it did --...

In 2010, millions of people are still in the dark. I don't get it.

In 2010 it's both ironic and absurd to think a tan is a sign of health, when actually it's the opposite.

In an effort to increase sun awareness at the official beginning of summer, the Friday...

I don't judge anyone who wants to improve their appearance. I mean, who doesn't?

But as a society, I think we've gone far enough with the obsession to make plastic into perfect.

I should say right up front: after my own bouts with breast and skin cancer- --...

President Obama:

The.... true burden of environmentally induced cancer has been grossly underestimated....The panel urges you most strongly to use the power of your office to remove the carcinogens and other toxins from our food, water, and air that needlessly increase health care costs, cripple our Nation's productivity, and devastate...

This year, the real March Madness isn't B-Ball -- it's B-Boys. Bad boys. It's been a banner year for men behaving badly.

In the post-season, excitement is building to a peak for sports fans -- as contenders for Worst Celebrity Husband move through their brackets toward the championship. No longer...

Mommy time: This is not about mommy taking off time -- for herself. This is about mommy taking on Times -- the New York Times -- which recently published a controversial article about mommy bloggers on the front page of the Style section.

Bloggers who felt the...

What else can you possible call it? With respect to Theodore Dreiser, no fiction writer could dream up this mess. It would be a great story, if only it weren't real.

I didn't intend to write about it...but I also didn't think John Edwards could sink any lower than he...

This is not a rhetorical question. And I'm not being coy. I don't have an answer to this question -- but if there's nothing the matter with Meryl Streep, then something is the matter with that. Seriously. Could anyone be this magical?

It's Hollywood awards season. AKA Streep season. Time...