Carol Bodensteiner's Blog

She Had No Regrets

By Carol / 12 June 2022 /

“What epitaph do you want on your tombstone?” the workshop facilitator asked. After a little thought, I scribbled down, “She Had No Regrets.” At that time I’d recently experienced a moment of clarity about my…

Go out and do something

By Carol / 27 April 2022 /

“Go out and do something, even if it’s wrong!” That was the advice my husband’s mother gave to her eleven children. While the ‘even if it’s wrong’ part leads me to imagine all sorts of…

I’m sorry

By Carol / 19 April 2022 /

This is now I feel today. I’m sorry What does the future look like? For my granddaughters, my step grandsons, the children in pre-schools, the young adults in college? North Korea launches another missile. Is the target South…

Crystal Bridges - We the People opens exhibit integrating art and racial history

Integrating art and racial history in America

By Carol / 14 March 2022 /

How can integrating America’s art and racial history tell a broader and more accurate story of our country than we commonly see? A remarkable exhibit at Crystal Bridges Museum encouraged me to see it can be…

“Eighth Day” reflects a love of reading

By Carol / 28 February 2022 /

“Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week that is devoted exclusively to reading.” – Lena Dunham After reading my post on struggling to read and write, my friend Jean Balser shared…

Have you lost your love of writing? Or reading?

By Carol / 21 February 2022 /

I know when I lost my urge to write. Or at least to write positively. It was shortly after Donald Trump was elected President. All my efforts to blog came out angry or flat or…

Best book price this year – Growing Up Country & Simple Truth

By Carol / 02 November 2018 /

Both Growing Up Country, Memories of an Iowa Farm Girl and Simple Truth – ebook versions only – are on sale from November 2-9 for $.99. Please help me spread the word about the best…

Bountiful Monarchs – A very good year in the prairie

By Carol / 14 August 2018 /

When we planted our prairie patch 10 years ago, one goal was to provide butterfly habitat. In the ensuing years, we’ve seen an uptick in pollinators. Bees of many varieties. A wealth of dragonflies. Yet…

Inspired by bravery – Ireland’s Holocaust Heroine

By Carol / 07 May 2018 /

People who risk it all to help others are inspiration for all of us. Some of these brave souls are well known – Schindler, Tubman, Esther – while others slip quietly into history. Irishwoman Mary…

Waking up to white privilege

By Carol / 24 April 2018 /

The recent arrest of two black men at a Philadelphia Starbucks raised again the issue of how people of different races are treated in the United States. It’s highly unlikely two white men sitting in…