Virginia Buckingham - Marblehead Current

10 Sep

After 9/11 changed everything, Buckingham finds way back

Leigh BlanderTop Stories, Virginia Buckingham

Virginia Buckingham has spent years coming to terms with how Sept. 11, 2001, changed her life. Twenty-five years later, she is still finding new meaning in what came afterward. The Marblehead resident was running the Massachusetts Port Authority when two planes took off from Logan International Airport and were hijacked by terrorists who flew them into the World Trade Center. In the years that followed, Buckingham wrestled with guilt, shame and blame — an experience she chronicled in her memoir, “On My Watch.” Now, with…

19 Aug

EVERYTHING WIL BE OKAY: A backyard wonder

Virginia BuckinghamColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

I’ve only seen one of the seven wonders of the world in person. But the eighth has to be a backyard in New England in August. Lucky us. I’ve written before about the soothing power of the color green. The physical explanation that your eye doesn’t have to make any effort because the it focuses green right on the center of your retina makes sense. As does the evolutionary explanation that green sends a signal of safety and plentitude. Yet what is the science behind…

09 Jun

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Planting for possibility

Virginia BuckinghamColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

Last year, I wrote a column entitled “Pruning and possibility” about the physical act of pruning the trees in my yard as well as things I spend energy on in my life. The goal was to let the light in literally and figuratively. Now in this new light-filled season, I find myself doing the opposite – planting for possibility. The crowds at area garden centers indicate I’m not alone in the literal endeavor of planting. My patio containers are all filled — abundant with purple,…

24 Apr

EVERYTHING WILL BE OK: Hope is a verb

Virginia BuckinghamColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

Like Virginia O’Hanlon’s (of “Yes, Virginia” fame) father once said of the New York Sun, if Merriam-Webster or Oxford says something is true then it is. And the estimable online dictionaries state unequivocally that the word “hope” is not just a noun (n- desire accompanied by expectation of obtaining what is desired or belief that it is obtainable) but indeed a verb, albeit a transitive one (v- to express desire for a specific outcome). Yes, I cherry-picked the definitions that most aligned with the purpose…

11 Mar

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Idles of March

Virginia BuckinghamOpinion, Virginia Buckingham

We’re almost there. We just have to get to the end of March and we’ll have made it through the worst of it — this icy, snowy, freezing winter, the likes of which we haven’t experienced in 10 years. I broke out puzzles, both of the jigsaw and crossword variety, to get through the days when the snowbanks seemed to make venturing out a foolish notion. I cooked my way through seasonal New York Times-suggested recipes and over-made some old Ina Garten favorites. Weeknight bolognese…

11 Feb

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: A valentine to a long marriage

Cheryl ByrneColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

All apologies to Hallmark but my husband David and I don’t exchange Valentine’s Day cards anymore. We didn’t make a conscious or even neglectful decision to stop doing so – no, “Sorry honey I forgot this year” or “these commercialized holidays are stupid” commentary underscored our reasoning. We had no reason at all, as far as I know. And if you wake up to pink paper hearts on February 14 th , I’m neither judging nor jealous. It’s totally great to be wooed that way.…

21 Jan

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Seasonally content

Leigh BlanderColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

As I write this, I am sitting by our beautiful harbor on a January morning watching sea birds skim across the surface of the 40-degree water. They seem content continuing their daily rituals regardless of the temperature. A temporary easing last week of the stretch of frigid air didn’t last but it gifted me a sense of contentment, too. Winter is not so bad! Check in with me in a month or so to see how durable this feeling is, but once again, I’m in…

05 Jan

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: An outbreak of optimism

Leigh BlanderColumns, Opinion, Virginia Buckingham

Something’s going around and it’s not just the flu. Everywhere I turned last week, there were lists and columns and stories of things to be optimistic about in 2026. That’s the one bandwagon I’m happy to jump on. What were some of the upcoming developments inspiring hope? They ranged from the very personal to the global economy to everything in between. Starting with health, several observers singled out mRNA technology as the probable answer to new, more effective treatments for all kinds of cancer. According…

22 Dec

EVERYTHING WILL BE OKAY: Fill our stockings with resilience

Leigh BlanderOpinion, Top Stories, Virginia Buckingham

That I spent a few minutes Googling how Americans celebrated Christmas after Pearl Harbor is indicative of the impact on my holiday spirit of the recent violent news cycle. I know I’m not alone in that sentiment. And, as it always does, the past sheds light on the future. Thank you, history. The Christmas of 1941 was just weeks after the devastating surprise attack on the Pacific Fleet. I can’t imagine how Americans managed to inject any joy into their homes in the wake of…

10 Sep

Everything Is Going to be Okay: Pruning and possibility

khthomsonVirginia Buckingham

Tiny flashes of light by the edge of the yard earlier this summer caught my eye. Could it be? When I was a child in rural Connecticut, a favorite summer night activity was sitting on our front stone steps with a glass jar trying to catch fireflies. Within minutes, the jar would be filled, a homemade lantern of delight. When my kids were young, I’d hoped to pass on this simple bit of homemade fun, but we didn’t have any fireflies here that I ever…