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Welcome -- Stories of Love, Memory and Connection

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  I’m Nancy Range Anderson, author of Caitlin’s Star and The Light in Grandmom’s Window . My books bring children, families, and generations together through stories of love, remembrance, kindness, and connection. Here you’ll find the stories behind my books, meaningful activities for families and groups, personal reflections, and information about upcoming events. Stories have a way of helping us understand life’s most difficult moments. Caitlin’s Star was written to help children talk about loss, remember the people they love, and find comfort in the idea that love continues even after someone is gone. A simple light can remind us that no one should feel forgotten. The Light in Grandmom’s Window was written to encourage children to reach across generations, welcome others, and discover how one thoughtful act can brighten two lives. On this site, I share the stories behind my books, along with personal reflections about healing, family, resilience, and the small moments that re...
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Tell Them

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  I just returned from my 50th college reunion. Something about the weekend made me want to write about it.  This weekend, I told several people what their friendship has meant to me. I’ve written about friendship before, but this reunion hit me hard. Fifty years out of college. So much life since those days, and still, memories that bring us right back. This weekend, I wanted people to know what I remembered. What I appreciated. What their friendship had meant to me then and what it still means now. One friend I’ve known since I was fourteen. I told him that, back then, I had told my mother I was going to marry him. He laughed and said he wished he’d known. He, too, said that our friendship had been very special back then. I told another friend that he had made my sophomore year in college special and that I would never forget that. He thanked me and said my words meant a lot. Then he shared a few memories of his own. It meant so much to hear what he remembered, too. A friend...
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Breakfast Sandwich Memories

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Today I had what I call "Mom's Breakfast Sandwich". It's a couple of strips of bacon on buttered rye toast. Our mom used to put these into our hands as we ran out the door and headed to the bus stop.   We were always late so we had to eat on the go.   These days I don't have them too often and today I wasn't in a rush. I was making a piece of bacon for Augie, thought of those sandwiches, and had half of one.   Memories like these inspire my writing. In Caitlin’s Star, the scent of flowers in Grandmother Pearl’s garden is part of remembering her love of gardening. In The Light in Grandmom’s Window, a familiar light carries the warmth of our family tradition.   They also inspire my new program, Preserving Family Memories. Recipes, traditions, scents, and tastes can hold stories worth passing along.   What food, scent, or family tradition brings someone you love to mind? I’d love to hear the story behind it.
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Do the Right Thing

  I’ ve been reading about the allegations involving a former Cornell student and members of a fraternity. The events she describes took place in 2024. I’m hearing about them now because she filed a lawsuit this month, and the district attorney has reopened the criminal investigation. According to her lawsuit, she was drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple men over several hours. A message in a fraternity group chat allegedly invited others to come upstairs, referring to her in language so degrading I cannot bring myself to repeat it. She was 20 years old. I keep thinking about how many people might have had a chance to help her. Did anyone who saw that message ask whether she was safe? Did anyone check on her, tell the others to stop, or call for help? I am also troubled by what I’ve read about the consequences. Her attorney says two of the accused students were expelled and others received lesser sanctions, including suspensions, workshops, and essays. Cornell says expulsions...
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A Sneak Peek at Something New I’m Working On

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  I’m developing a new interactive presentation, Preserving Family Memories , which I’ll be presenting to the Bonita Springs Historical Society in January. As I started thinking about the program, I realized that preserving family memories is about so much more than saving old photographs, letters and keepsakes. It’s about preserving the stories behind them . When I was 19, my first love broke my heart. I called my mother from college and cried my heart out. A few days later, a letter arrived from home. It was from my father. That alone made it special because my dad usually left the letter writing to my mother. But this time, he sat down with a pencil and wrote to his heartbroken daughter. He told me that everyone experiences heartbreak—he had, my mother had—and that life truly does go on. He reminded me that the world was my oyster, with so many places to explore and things to see. And he wrote a line I've never forgotten: “The harder the hammering, the stronger the steel.” More ...
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Caitlin's Star Presentation - It's Not Just for Kids

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  Today I visited the Long Branch Senior Center to share Caitlin’s Star. I'd hoped the story would invite people to reflect and share memories and the group gave me so much more.   They were warm and welcoming, and so willing to talk. There were tears, smiles, laughter, and hugs.   During our activity, many of the women wrote about what they imagined their loved ones might be doing among the stars. What amazed me was how often their answers involved music. Someone was singing. Others were directing or conducting, playing the drums, or singing opera. Each answer was personal, yet music seemed to connect so many of their memories.   One woman wandered into the room without signing up. Afterward, she told me she was so glad she had come because she was grieving and the program gave her a sense of peace. Then she said something I'll carry with me: “There was a reason I was there today.” Others shared similar feelings.   After the program ended, we stayed seated toge...
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The Traditions We Carry Forward

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  Do you have a tradition that you’ve kept alive in your family? I’ve been thinking about the candles we placed in the windows of my family home and how that tradition inspired The Light in Grandmom’s Window . But today, my daughter Caitlin reminded me of another family tradition that I adore. When Caitlin and Christian were little, I rocked them and sang to them before bedtime. Some were lullabies I made up. Others were songs I loved. One song I sang to Caitlin night after night was Jimmy Buffett’s “ When the Coast Is Clear .” I still have the rocker. When I look at it, I can picture those special evenings with each of my children in my arms. Today I came across a video of Jimmy singing that song at a concert in Alabama in 2013. I sent the clip to Caitlin, remembering the nights I sang it to her. She wrote back that she had sung it to her daughter when she was a baby, and now they sing it together. I knew Caitlin had carried on the tradition, but her message brought those evenings...
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Do It Right the First Time, Every Time

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  Today, I noticed a glaring error in the calendars I prepare and send to friends each year. Yom Kippur is incorrectly listed as September 22 in the 2027 calendar. Several days ago, I realized that Rosh Hashanah was missing from the 2027 calendar template used by the printing company. That was troubling enough. I spoke with one of my Jewish friends and asked whether she would mind if I added the holiday to her calendar myself. Today, as I prepared to send her calendar, I discovered another problem: Yom Kippur was included—but on the wrong date. It was listed as September 22. Now, I’m Catholic, but I know that Yom Kippur follows Rosh Hashanah. I checked the dates and confirmed that in 2027, Rosh Hashanah begins at sundown on October 1, and Yom Kippur begins at sundown on October 10. I wrote to the printer’s corporate office to report these serious errors. I don’t know how they happened, and I am not suggesting they were intentional. Still, at a time when antisemitism is a serious an...
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