Washington Post – Janice Lynch Schuster

When Saving a Kingfisher Saved the Day

I’d only been at my company a couple months when a coworker, Ben Markowitz, posted in a corporate Slack channel, that he was running late because he was trying to save a kingfisher he’d spotted stuck high in a tree near his house. Our colleagues responded quickly with ideas and compassion. In that moment, I knew that I myself had landed with the right group (flock?) of people. I’d been worried about it: I’m among the oldest members of the team, I’m new to the world of start-ups, and more. But smart, compassionate people? When you find yourself among them, it’s good fortune.

I was lucky to be able to tell Ben’s story a few weeks later for The Washington Post. It reminded me of something that happened nearly a decade ago, when my daughter, Alyson, and my niece, Alanna, had spotted a bluebird chick trapped in a storm drain. With a crab net and perseverance, they rescued it and took it to a local wildlife refuge. I can’t remember anymore the fate of the bird. I remember the pride and relief I felt in having raised a kind girl.

In an era when we are trying so desperately and earnestly to unite ourselves across and despite the awful history of racism and America, and despite the awful toll of COVID-19, and the absolute evil of the current Administration, I find solace in the kindness of others, in small hope that somehow this will prevail and guide us to the path we meant to build.

Wild-Eyed Poets and Basketball Stars

My father is a lifelong “wild-eyed sports fan.” A native Washingtonian, his childhood revolved around the Senators. One year, he bolted across home plate to shake Roy Sievers’ hand as Sievers crossed home plate after scoring a walk-off home run for the Washington Senators. I’ve written a few short articles in The Washington Post about … Continue reading “Wild-Eyed Poets and Basketball Stars”

I’ve written a few short articles in The Washington Post about Dad’s near-legendary sports-triumphs: the time he sneaked into the White House, along with the Championship Washington Bullets, and had hot dogs with First Lady Rosalynn Carter. His longing to see his beloved Nationals take a pennant, or the World Series continues to keep him moving.

And there is the love he and my sister and I have for going to Bruce Springsteen shows. Even Dad stands for the legendary encores, and the lights-up tent-revival sing-along of Born to Run and Thunder Road.

A bookworm, too, in his retirement, Dad has developed a callous on his elbow where it rests on his favorite reading perch, the porch swing of his house. Because I am a writer, he has always passed along must-read books and suggested writers.

For years, he has plied me with dog-eared copies of Sports Illustrated as proof that the greatest writers in any medium are sportswriters (my favorites include George Plimpton and his Miami Notebooks and just about anything by Frank Deford). Like Dad, I’m sure that at the top of their game, sportswriters are our true poets and storytellers–not, by the way, content creators.

The most recent addition to that list may be new-to-me novelist and sportswriter, Jack McCallum. His Summer 2017 profile of Tom Meschery, poet, teacher, and former NBA star. Check out Meschery’s blog on sports, literature, and news. But first, grab SI, find a porch or imagine one, and swing for a moment as you read.

Stillbirths: All Too Common, Too Much Unknown

To tell this story is to tell its end first. On Sept. 1, 2012, Makenna, the only child of Heather Thompson and Geoff Duff of Alexandria, Va., was born dead. She had been alive in her mother’s womb on Aug. 30, but no heartbeat could be found the next day. Her umbilical cord had knotted, … Continue reading “Stillbirths: All Too Common, Too Much Unknown”

To tell this story is to tell its end first. On Sept. 1, 2012, Makenna, the only child of Heather Thompson and Geoff Duff of Alexandria, Va., was born dead. She had been alive in her mother’s womb on Aug. 30, but no heartbeat could be found the next day. Her umbilical cord had knotted, then wrapped around her neck, and, at 39 weeks, she was stillborn. Until her baby’s heartbeat could not be found, Thompson says, the pregnancy had been medically uneventful.

Read the full article here.

Hot Flash News Flash: Hormone Therapy for Menopause

After having endured hot flashes several times an hour day in and day out, I decided to find help. In the process, I learned a great deal, and shared what I learned in an article out in today’s Washington Post. key words: Washington Post, Janice Lynch Schuster, menopause, hormone treatment

key words: Washington Post, Janice Lynch Schuster, menopause, hormone treatment

When My Dad Sneaked Into the White House, Washington Post, 2014

My father is a sports fanatic. That fanaticism led to his excellent adventure–a visit to the White House in 1978, when the Washington Bullets won the national championship. A fun story to read, given the current hard times of security breaches. Dad at the White House, 1978

Dad at the White House, 1978