For seven years, Rifka Rosenwein voiced the pleasures and frustrations of her life in "The Home Front," a monthly column in The New York Jewish Week. Whether discussing religion and family, her torchbearer perspective as the daughter of Holocaust survivors, or the tensions between motherhood and career, Rifka's storytelling always struck a chord with readers. Rifka captures the details of motherhood - from the first love in kindergarten, to the first painful separation of overnight camp, to the discovery that her daughter might just need a doll after all. After her diagnosis of terminal cancer, her columns describe life on "cancer time." She generously shared with readers the steadfast support of friends and community. Together, the 64 columns collected in Life in the Present Tense are a death-defying celebration of life.