Author Archives: Jeannine Vegh

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About Jeannine Vegh

I am a psychotherapist and author of both fiction and non-fiction.

In Order to Live – Yeonmi Park Book Review

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I had only learned of this young woman a week ago. My boyfriend mentioned her name, we looked her up and found lots of scathing reviews from liberal journalists who don’t know the first thing about psychology or survivors of communist countries. As soon as I heard more about the story, I wanted to read it immediately to see for myself. My step/adopt father came to the U.S. in 1956 from Hungary. Post-WWII, after failing as an ally (luckily), their country was communist until 1989. I grew up learning about communism, Russians and fearing this type of lifestyle. I also, myself, wrote a book about 1956, The Uprisers, in which I did an extensive amount of research. And, I am a trauma specialist in my day job.

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On Being a Woman

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A woman is a person who was born unto herself. A woman is that which all human beings are born, whether inventors and geniuses, writers and astronauts, judges and Presidents, but even foolish men and women. You cannot “identify” as a woman any more then I can identify as a black or an Asian, anymore than you can identify as a bird or tree, a flower or the sea. You can pretend to be anything or anyone you want but you will never be anything then that which you were born to be. And if you try, well, no one is more the full than thee.

Being a woman is learning to be strong and wise. It is about respecting your body as it is about finding your authentic self – and not your ego.

Being a woman is having integrity with the self and all the roles you might take on. Being a daughter first and foremost, and perhaps a sister or an aunt, a niece, and one day becoming a mother and then a grandmother or a great-aunt.

Being a woman is finding the path you will go on as a woman. Listening to the teacher and to your inner voice. Finding that which you are most passionate about and setting goals. Honoring yourself by attending college or going down an adult career path.

Being a woman is being honest with the world around you and not ashamed of the body you were born into. There is no shame in being born a woman.

Being a woman is being a lover, a patriot, a voter, a friend, a guiding hand, a values setter.

Being a woman is having good morals and boundaries. Setting an example and being a good role model.

Being a woman is taking care of the feminine within but even nurturing the masculine as well. We are both yin/yang and must take care to respect both aspects of our self.

Being a woman is looking outside of yourself and respecting the world around you.

Being a woman is finding your spiritual devotion to that which you believe, whatever it is whether dogma or not.

Being a woman is nurturing your mental and emotional state of mind. Finding joy in having a healthy and whole body.

Being a woman is being what you were born to be, being proud of this and treating yourself to life and all the lessons that you will find along the way.

Being a woman is happiness if you respect and honor yourself, your values, your beliefs, your culture, your race, your family and friends.

Being a woman is loving yourself.

If  you try to be anyone but yourself, you become an imposter, a liar, a deceiver, and no one is harmed more than you harm yourself.

Irena Carpenter – Delaware County

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Powell Liberty Historical Society

From Youtube: Sherry Carmichael portrays Irena Carpenter, the matriarch of the first white family to settle in Delaware County Ohio, as she describes her family and their moves from Connecticut to central New York and then in 1801 to what became Liberty Township, Delaware County, Ohio. Music credit: “Dreamstrider” by Cody Martin

The link for this video is also on the Powell Liberty Historical Society Website.

Sisters in Restaurant Success: A History of The Maramor Downtown Columbus

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This article was copied from The Boston Hospitality Review, and the images, as explained below come from the Columbus Metropolitan Library, Columbus, Ohio. I hope you will enjoy reading this as much as I did.

By Jan Whitaker

In the summer of 1920 a woman named Mary Love opened The Maramor, a tea room-style restaurant in downtown Columbus, Ohio. The location was in a house once owned by the city’s richest man. After being vacated by his widow in 1895, the handsome 3-story building had housed a variety of tenants including doctors, a Turkish bath, and the State Palace, a Chinese-American restaurant.

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In the Mood for Love, A Chinese Masterpiece in Avant Garde

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A 2000 film by Wong Kar-Wai, this is a brilliantly directed, choreographed, acted, film with amazing camera work that will have you wondering what is going on. I say the latter because you will want to watch this at least two times to understand what is going on. This was the consensus of my movie group last night. I loved it the first time I watched it, but was confused, as an American, by the names, the characters and all the cameo type scenes. I loved it once I figured out what was going on the first time, and then the second time, being prepared for what was about to take place, I could relax and prepare and enjoy. I have learned with foreign films – trust the director – he knows what he is doing.

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Conflict In Relationships: Having a Healthy Dialogue

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A relationship does not need to be divided as a result of conflict. If both parties are committed to one another and believe they are on a team – and operate as a team, both will grow with conflict. The reason so many couples are divided is that trust has been broken and they are in a two party household.

If only one partner is talking and requesting support but the other is not listening – stonewalling, or criticizing, being contemptuous or defending themself, the talker will feel bitter over time. They will feel emotionally exhausted. “I have tried explaining, but he/she doesn’t listen.” They might say. When they come into my office, the “listener” becomes very defensive, “yes I did.” I know they didn’t otherwise they wouldn’t be there.

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Kim Russell – Oberlin College

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Ohio Woman Making History

Generally, I am only writing about women who have passed, but right now, our rights are on the line. We are in an era of modern suffrage, in the sense that women are being erased whenever they speak. DEI on college campuses needs to be eliminated, just as Affirmative Action was ended by the Supreme Court. There is no “inclusion” on college campuses when you “exclude” women under the guise that you are somehow looking out for people’s rights. If a man wants to pretend to be a woman, the first thing he needs to do is RESPECT women. Non-biological women do NOT get to get awards on International Women’s Day (President Biden), they do not get to invade our sororities (University of Wyoming), they do not get to go into our locker rooms (Ohio State University – Phillip Heit), and they do not get to play women’s sports.

Where is #metoo now? Where are the #feminists who profess to be concerned about women’s rights? While these two groups annihilate women, in favor of men, conservative women are standing strong and standing up to the hypocrisy we are now facing. Now we know who is really in favor of women’s rights. Now we know, what some of us have suspected all along. They didn’t burn any bra’s, they handed them over to men and asked them to join along.

Oberlin College lost a lawsuit against Gibbon’s Bakery, for trying to take down this wonderful small business owner. Do they really need to exist anymore as a college? Should you really be putting your money into a business that continues to eradicate decent people, trying to look out for the welfare of others? Kim Russell is a heroine. She will go down in history, like Riley Gaines and Paula Scanlan for protecting women from men who are trying to take advantage of women. Misogynists, plain and simple. Oberlin is a misogynist and they are Anti-American, Anti-Small Business, this is not a safe place for young women to attend college.

Our Soul’s Mate

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Patience is a Virtue, but don’t sit around and wait, patiently for him to return.           

Love, Sweet Passionate Love. An energy, not an emotion, words my professor spoke to me or us in class back in the late 90’s at Antioch University Santa Barbara. I had struggled until recently to begin to understand what this really might mean. We want to believe that love is based on emotions. This is what society tells us.  That it is about sex, fulfilment, desires, needs being met, romance. And yet, every love story comes with a tale of how the two met. It is not a linear photograph. Remembering fondly, “When Harry Met Sally.” These two young adults met right in college; I believe they were driving somewhere together. Over the years, the two of them had a friendship, with husband/wife, break-ups, illness, and they still carried this bond, this fondness. It wasn’t until the very end of the movie that we see this, now older couple getting together, probably in their 30’s.

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Mary Johnson – Worthington

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Mary Johnson Sessions

Today, I had the opportunity to visit the Orange Johnson House in Worthington, Ohio. They were celebrating the 200th birthday of Mary (July 12) and the 250th birthday of Thomas Worthington, our sixth governor (July 16). The historical home featured antiques from this time period and there were docents, dressed in costume, around the home in each of the rooms. They gave us explanations about the home and the room we were in. Mary’s family, Orange and Achsa (nee Maynard), herself and her brother were the second family to occupy this home. The original back portion of the home was built in 1811 by Arora Buttles. The Johnson family moved in around 1816 and added a second portion which we can still see today. The design of the house came with interesting features, due to the new addition. This included a three or four step entryway from brother’s room to the sister’s room (which originally was a window). Outside of the family bedrooms was a porch that connected all the bedrooms.

Mary’s father was one of the first settlers to Worthington and a wealthy man. He sent his daughter to be educated at the Worthington Female Seminary, where she would study to become a teacher. Mary had many suitors, with well-mannered rejection letters. There are many letters you can find at the home, which are transcribed. There are also copies of the original ones in a glass showcase. However, even though they were transcribed, they were not edited, thus it can be complicated to read. She would go on to marry a friend of her father’s, Frank Sessions. They moved to Broad Street, which is the same property/land which now houses the Columbus Museum of Art. Some of Mary and Frank’s art work were donated to this museum, as they were avid art collectors.

Marital Home of Frank and Mary. It is now the Columbus Museum of Art housed on this property.

Mary travelled quite a bit with her husband. One of these places was Europe. She was also at the inauguration of President Harrison. Mary died in 1919 at the age of 96 in her beloved home above.

Mary and Frank

Mary and her cousin Helene.

Mary’s burial place at Greenlawn Cemetery, Columbus, Ohio:

Of course, you will have to go to the home to see much better versions of these photos, up close and personal. You won’t regret it!