Jo’s Blog

I spotted these two girls sitting off by themselves yesterday at Latika Vihar. All the other kids were deeply involved in the dance lesson. These two seemed deeply involved in watching – not the dancing, but something only they could see, [...]

  What are these two little boys thinking about? Seven-thirty on a hot and dusty Monday morning and there they are perched on a cycle-cart, gazing at someone – their father? their uncle? an inebriated neighbor? – sprawled on the [...]

Like everybody else in this world, I love my own music. There is nothing quite like the little bubble one can create with headphones plugged in and sneakers on, striding through an airport or a crowded marketplace or the streets of the hood, yet [...]

This was one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. Anand has always loved the Eggplant Parmesan I make at home, so when he got his own kitchen AND a friend he wants to impress, he asked me to teach him how to make it. So Tuesday night, we made [...]

(This article appeared in the June 4th issue of Commonweal Magazine) Hiatus While I took Lent and Easter more seriously than ever this year—in terms of prayer, Scriptural reading, reflection, and discipline—I didn’t go to Mass. In fact, I [...]

It’s hard to believe that all three of the MacGill sisters have died. They went out in the exact opposite of the order in which they came in: Aunt Sheila, the youngest, left us first. Then Mom. And three days ago,  the eldest: Aunt [...]

When Cathleen set out for college four years ago, she planned to major in Psychology and Interior Design – her two loves. She was particularly interested in Criminal Psychology and we used to joke about how she might team up with Martha [...]